Olympus FE-45 vs Olympus SP-100

Its time to look more in depth at the Olympus FE-45 vs Olympus SP-100, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom and both of them are built by Olympus. There is a sizable difference among the image resolutions of the FE-45 (10MP) and SP-100 (16MP) but both cameras provide the identical sensor measurements (1/2.3").

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The FE-45 was announced 6 years prior to the SP-100 and that is a fairly significant difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus FE-45 being a Compact camera and the Olympus SP-100 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before going straight to a complete comparison, here is a simple summary of how the FE-45 matches up against the SP-100 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus FE-45 & Olympus Stylus SP-100. The whole galleries are provided at Olympus FE-45 Gallery & Olympus SP-100 Gallery.

If you're intending to lug around your camera frequently, you should factor its weight and dimensions. The Olympus FE-45 comes with physical measurements of 94mm x 62mm x 23mm (3.7" x 2.4" x 0.9") accompanied by a weight of 142 grams (0.31 lbs) while the Olympus SP-100 has dimensions of 122mm x 91mm x 133mm (4.8" x 3.6" x 5.2") and a weight of 594 grams (1.31 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus FE-45 vs Olympus SP-100 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you have at that time. The following is a front view over all size comparison of the FE-45 vs the SP-100.

Using size and weight, the portability score of the FE-45 and SP-100 is 95 and 63 respectively.

Generally, it can be difficult to imagine the contrast in sensor measurements merely by viewing a spec sheet. The graphic below will offer you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the FE-45 and SP-100.

As you can see, each of the cameras feature the identical sensor size albeit different MP. You can count on the Olympus SP-100 to render greater detail with its extra 6MP. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop shots way more aggressively. The older FE-45 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.