Olympus FE-45 vs Panasonic ZS100

Following is a extended analysis of the Olympus FE-45 and Panasonic ZS100, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Large Sensor Compact by brands Olympus and Panasonic. There is a considerable difference between the resolutions of the FE-45 (10MP) and ZS100 (20MP) and the FE-45 (1/2.3") and ZS100 (1") offer totally different sensor sizing.

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The FE-45 was brought out 8 years earlier than the ZS100 which is quite a large difference as far as tech is concerned. The two cameras feature different body design with the Olympus FE-45 being a Compact camera and the Panasonic ZS100 being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before getting into a full comparison, here is a concise synopsis of how the FE-45 grades versus the ZS100 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Here is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus FE-45 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS100. The entire galleries are available at Olympus FE-45 Gallery & Panasonic ZS100 Gallery.

For anyone who is aiming to carry around your camera often, you'll need to factor in its weight and size. The Olympus FE-45 offers 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 Panasonic ZS100 has specifications of 111mm x 65mm x 44mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.7") with a weight of 312 grams (0.69 lbs).

Check out the Olympus FE-45 and Panasonic ZS100 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you have at the time. Here is a front view size comparison of the FE-45 versus the ZS100.

Looking at size and weight, the portability score of the FE-45 and ZS100 is 95 and 87 respectively.

In many cases, it is very hard to visualise the gap between sensor sizes purely by going over specifications. The image below will offer you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the FE-45 and ZS100.

Plainly, the two cameras come with different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The FE-45 featuring a tinier sensor will make achieving shallow DOF harder and the Panasonic ZS100 will deliver greater detail having its extra 10 Megapixels. Higher resolution will help you crop photographs a good deal more aggressively. The more aged FE-45 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor tech.