Olympus FE-4000 vs Panasonic G3

Below is a comprehensive comparison of the Olympus FE-4000 versus Panasonic G3, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by companies Olympus and Panasonic. There is a large difference among the image resolutions of the FE-4000 (12MP) and G3 (16MP) and the FE-4000 (1/2.3") and G3 (Four Thirds) offer different sensor sizing.

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The FE-4000 was revealed 23 months before the G3 which makes them a generation apart from each other. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus FE-4000 being a Compact camera and the Panasonic G3 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting straight to a in depth comparison, here is a simple view of how the FE-4000 grades versus the G3 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus FE-4000 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3. The full galleries are provided at Olympus FE-4000 Gallery & Panasonic G3 Gallery.

If you are aiming to lug around your camera, you should consider its weight and proportions. The Olympus FE-4000 provides outer dimensions of 95mm x 57mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") with a weight of 136 grams (0.30 lbs) and the Panasonic G3 has measurements of 115mm x 84mm x 47mm (4.5" x 3.3" x 1.9") accompanied by a weight of 336 grams (0.74 lbs).

See the Olympus FE-4000 versus Panasonic G3 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you have attached during that time. Below is a front view proportions comparison of the FE-4000 against the G3.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability grade of the FE-4000 and G3 is 95 and 83 respectively.

Usually, it is very difficult to imagine the difference in sensor measurements purely by checking out technical specs. The visual below will help offer you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the FE-4000 and G3.

As you have seen, both of these cameras come with different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The FE-4000 having a smaller sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field harder and the Panasonic G3 will provide more detail because of its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop photographs a good deal more aggressively. The older FE-4000 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.