Olympus FE-4030 vs Panasonic L1

Below, we will be matching up the Olympus FE-4030 and Panasonic L1, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Advanced DSLR by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a significant gap between the image resolutions of the FE-4030 (14MP) and L1 (7MP) and the FE-4030 (1/2.3") and L1 (Four Thirds) possess different sensor sizes.

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The FE-4030 was unveiled 2 years later than the L1 and that is quite a sizable gap as far as technology is concerned. Both of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus FE-4030 being a Compact camera and the Panasonic L1 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before getting in to a comprehensive comparison, below is a brief view of how the FE-4030 grades versus the L1 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus FE-4030 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-L1. The full galleries are available at Olympus FE-4030 Gallery and Panasonic L1 Gallery.

For anyone who is looking to lug around your camera frequently, you will want to think about its weight and measurements. The Olympus FE-4030 offers external dimensions of 93mm x 56mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") with a weight of 146 grams (0.32 lbs) and the Panasonic L1 has proportions of 146mm x 87mm x 77mm (5.7" x 3.4" x 3.0") along with a weight of 606 grams (1.34 lbs).

Check out the Olympus FE-4030 and Panasonic L1 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you are utilising at that moment. Following is the front view scale comparison of the FE-4030 against the L1.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the FE-4030 and L1 is 95 and 65 respectively.

Quite often, it is difficult to picture the contrast between sensor measurements only by reading through technical specs. The visual below might offer you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the FE-4030 and L1.

As you have seen, the two cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The FE-4030 with its tinier sensor is going to make getting shallower DOF harder and the Olympus FE-4030 will give extra detail having an extra 7 Megapixels. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop shots much more aggressively. The younger FE-4030 should have a benefit with regard to sensor innovation.