Olympus FE-45 vs Olympus 1

Its time to look closer at the Olympus FE-45 and Olympus 1, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom and both of them are designed by Olympus. The image resolution of the FE-45 (10MP) and the 1 (12MP) is fairly close but the FE-45 (1/2.3") and 1 (1/1.7") offer totally different sensor size.

Photography Glossary

The FE-45 was introduced 5 years earlier than the 1 and that is a fairly serious gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus FE-45 being a Compact camera and the Olympus 1 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before we go into a complete comparison, here is a short overview of how the FE-45 scores against the 1 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus FE-45 and Olympus Stylus 1. The whole galleries are available at Olympus FE-45 Gallery and Olympus 1 Gallery.

If you're aiming to lug around your camera regularly, you're going to have to consider its weight and dimensions. The Olympus FE-45 offers outer measurements of 94mm x 62mm x 23mm (3.7" x 2.4" x 0.9") having a weight of 142 grams (0.31 lbs) and the Olympus 1 has dimensions of 116mm x 87mm x 57mm (4.6" x 3.4" x 2.2") accompanied by a weight of 402 grams (0.89 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus FE-45 and Olympus 1 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you are employing at the time. Following is a front view dimension comparison of the FE-45 and the 1.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability rating of the FE-45 and 1 is 95 and 79 respectively.

Oftentimes, it can be hard to envision the gap in sensor measurements purely by viewing specs. The graphic underneath will help provide you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the FE-45 and 1.

As you can plainly see, both the cameras have different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The FE-45 having a smaller sensor will make shooting shallow DOF trickier and the Olympus 1 will provide you with greater detail using its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will enable you to crop photos a bit more aggressively. The older FE-45 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor tech.