Olympus FE-47 vs Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III: A Hands-On Camera Comparison for Thoughtful Photographers

Having tested thousands of cameras over my 15+ years as a photography equipment reviewer, I know that choosing the right camera often means looking beyond specs to how they perform in the moment – in the field, under pressure, and across different shooting styles. Today I’m diving deep into two Olympus models from completely different eras and tiers: the compact, entry-level Olympus FE-47 from 2010, and the far more advanced Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III, a 2017 mirrorless camera that sits comfortably at the entry-level pro mirrorless tier.

Both cameras carry the Olympus name but serve very distinct photography needs, capabilities, and budgets. My aim here is to guide you through the practical differences so you can confidently decide which one fits your personal style, whether you’re an enthusiast looking for a capable lightweight travel camera, or a budding pro aiming for flexibility and image quality.

First Impressions: Size, Build, and Handling

Let’s start with the fundamentals of ergonomics and design, because cameras live in your hands and get used in all sorts of environments.

The Olympus FE-47 is a very compact small-sensor point-and-shoot, weighing just 204 grams with dimensions 98x61x27 mm. It’s incredibly pocketable, fitting into even the smallest bags without notice – perfect for snapshots and casual shooting. Constructed of lightweight plastic with no weather sealing, it feels simple and toy-like compared to modern cameras. Controls are limited and not very tactile, primarily a landscape for casual users who want ease over customization.

Contrast that with the Olympus E-M10 Mark III, a mirrorless camera that resembles a miniature DSLR in size and style. Weighing 410 grams and sized 122x84x50 mm, it feels robust in hand, sporting metal body elements though lacking environment sealing. The design is traditional SLR-style, with a rich array of buttons, dials, and a comfortable grip that invites longer shooting sessions. The control layout is intuitive and well-thought-out, highlighted by a tilting touchscreen and a bright 2.36M-dot electronic viewfinder for precise composition.

Handling wise, the FE-47 caters more to casual snaps with minimal fuss. The E-M10 III, meanwhile, addresses the demands of enthusiasts who want quick access to settings and reliable buttons for manual shooting – making it more forgiving and flexible in challenging scenarios.

From the Top: Control Layout and User Interface

A camera's top surface is where ergonomic control shines or falters. Here the differences clarify the target user bases.

The FE-47’s top design is minimalistic: a combined power/shutter button, zoom rocker, and a tiny flash button. No mode dial or dedicated exposure controls exist. This paucity of physical control perfectly suits a family snapshot camera but stifles creativity and speed.

Meanwhile, the E-M10 III sports a mode dial offering PASM shooting modes – crucial for learning photography and customizing exposure. Dedicated ISO, exposure compensation, and front/rear dials allow fluent manual adjustments. A small built-in flash pops up when needed, and there's a hot shoe for attaching external strobes or microphones, a feature the FE-47 completely lacks.

In practical use, I found the Olympus mirrorless more satisfying and flexible. When spontaneously changing shutter speed or ISO on a sunny street, the dials offer instant control; with the FE-47, you’re tied to auto modes and menus, limiting responsiveness.

Sensor Size and Image Quality: The Heart of Photography

Jumping into image quality and the “sensor wars,” this is where the Olympus FE-47 and the E-M10 Mark III part company substantially.

The FE-47 sports a tiny 1/2.3" CCD sensor (6.08x4.56mm) with 14 megapixels - pretty typical for 2010-era compact cameras. This sensor size inherently limits image quality, producing higher noise at elevated ISOs and comparatively less dynamic range. Its CCD design gives slightly warmer color rendition but the small sensor area (~27.72mm²) means smaller pixels and less light gathering capability, which becomes evident in low light or complex lighting such as sunsets or interiors.

Contrast that with the E-M10 Mark III’s much larger Four Thirds size CMOS sensor (17.4x13mm) sporting 16 megapixels, about eight times the imaging area (~226.2mm²). This sensor offers a significantly better signal-to-noise ratio, especially at high ISO settings, wider dynamic range, and generally sharper details due to larger photosites. The CMOS chip also supports more advanced processing and features like high speed continuous AF tracking and improved color accuracy.

In practice, the difference is stark. Landscapes captured on the E-M10 III burst with tonal depth, vibrant yet accurate colors, and fine textural detail. The FE-47’s images can feel flat with less fine detail and noise creeping in as soon as you hit ISO 400. For print sizes larger than 8x10”, or cropping, the mirrorless camera stands miles ahead.

Viewing and Interface: Making Composition a Joy

Composition is everything in photography, so the camera’s output device is critical.

The FE-47 has no viewfinder and only a modest 2.7-inch fixed LCD screen with a 230k-dot resolution. It’s reflective and fairly small, making eyeball exposure assessments and precise focusing a challenge under bright sunlight. The lack of any articulating functionality limits creativity in shooting angles.

By contrast, the E-M10 III offers a bright 3-inch tilting touchscreen LCD with a sharp 1.04M-dot resolution, plus a high quality 2.36M-dot electronic viewfinder covering 100% of the frame at 0.62x magnification. This setup provides flexibility to shoot from waist level or overhead with ease. Touchscreen capability adds intuitive autofocus point selection. The electronic viewfinder aids in manual focusing and exposure checking even in direct sunlight.

When I photographed a bustling street market, the viewfinder on the E-M10 III was indispensable for stability and accurate framing, while the FE-47’s LCD struggled to reflect colors faithfully and needed close inspection to verify focus.

Real-World Photography Across Genres

Now let’s look at how these cameras perform across popular genres, drawing on my hands-on experience with each.

Portrait Photography: Skin Tones and Bokeh

The FE-47’s small sensor and fixed, slow aperture lens (F3.5-5.6) limit depth of field control and bokeh quality. Backgrounds stay mostly in focus, making it difficult to isolate subjects artistically. Its autofocus is contrast-based, single-area, and relatively slow, lacking face or eye detection. Skin tones render okay but can lack tonal subtlety.

The E-M10 Mark III shines with its large Micro Four Thirds sensor and compatibility with a broad lens lineup, many offering bright apertures (F1.8 and wider) for creamy bokeh and shallow DOF. Its face and eye detection autofocus are fast, accurate, and reliable, ideal for capturing expressive portraits. Color reproduction is natural and nuanced.

Landscape Photography: Dynamic Range and Resolution

For landscapes, I found the FE-47 adequate only for casual snapshots. Its limited dynamic range means highlights tend to blow out, shadows clip, and fine detail can suffer. The FE-47 does have a good long focal reach (36-180mm equivalent), but at the cost of sharpness.

The E-M10 III’s bigger sensor, higher resolution, and support for RAW capture give photographers broad latitude for post-processing, enabling recovery of shadows and highlights. Paired with prime wide-angle lenses or Olympus’s pro-series zooms, it performs excellently in demanding landscape scenes, even in challenging light.

Wildlife and Sports: Autofocus and Burst Performance

The FE-47 lacks continuous autofocus and fast burst modes, making it a poor choice when capturing fast-moving subjects. Its contrast-focus system hunts in low light or low contrast, and maximum shutter speed is 1/2000s.

Conversely, with 121 focus points and 8.6 fps burst shooting, the E-M10 Mark III is well equipped for wildlife and sports (especially for smaller subjects or amateur use). Its AF tracking, face detection, and tilting rear screen accommodate challenging angles and fast action, although it cannot match flagship cameras with advanced phase-detection AF or extreme frame rates.

Street Photography and Travel: Discretion and Versatility

The FE-47’s ultra-compact size makes it the most discreet option for street photography or spontaneous shots. Its weight and portability mean you can carry it everywhere without fatigue, though its image quality limitations could frustrate more demanding users.

The E-M10 III, while bulkier, remains compact compared to DSLRs. Its tilting screen, built-in image stabilization, and Wi-Fi capabilities support travel shooting workflows. Battery life is decent (approx. 330 shots per charge), but heavier compared to the FE-47’s AA battery simplicity.

Macro and Night Photography

The FE-47 supports macro focusing to 3cm, but image quality near the edges softens noticeably.

The E-M10 III benefits from interchangeable macro lenses with high magnification and precise focusing, and dual stabilization systems make handheld macro shots far more practical.

At night, the FE-47 struggles beyond ISO 400, producing grainy images with muddy shadows.

The E-M10 III performs admirably up to ISO 3200 or higher with retained detail, supported by a fast lens and 5-axis in-body stabilization. It also offers time-lapse recording and longer exposure modes that the FE-47 lacks.

Video Capabilities: From Casual Clips to 4K Footage

On video, the FE-47 delivers basic VGA (640x480) recordings at 30fps in Motion JPEG format. This is strictly for casual use and results in grainy footage with poor low-light performance and no stabilization.

Conversely, the E-M10 III shoots 4K video at 30p with H.264 encoding and supports time-lapse. Its in-body 5-axis stabilization helps achieve handheld smoothness, although it lacks mic/headphone ports for advanced audio control, somewhat limiting professional video work.

Lens Ecosystem and Extensibility

The FE-47’s fixed 36-180 mm equivalent zoom lens means no upgrades or lens swaps. Great for beginners demanding all-in-one but restrictive for creative photographers.

The E-M10 III leverages the prolific Micro Four Thirds mount, with access to 100+ native lenses, including Olympus’s renowned M.Zuiko Pro lenses and third-party options. It covers everything from ultra-wide landscapes to super-telephoto wildlife lenses, plus compact primes and specialty lenses (macro, fisheye). The E-M10 III thus scales with your ambitions, ideal for learning and growth.

Build Quality, Weather Sealing, and Durability

Neither camera boasts professional-grade weather sealing or ruggedness. Both are limited to indoor and fair weather use.

The E-M10 III’s metal alloy body is noticeably tougher and better built than the FE-47’s plastic shell, giving confidence for travel and variable conditions, but still avoid rain or dusty environments without extra rain covers or protection.

Battery Life and Storage

The FE-47 runs on 2 AA batteries, which are easy to swap but offer inconsistent power depending on battery type. No official shot counts provided, but expect limited continuous use.

The E-M10 III uses a proprietary rechargeable lithium-ion battery rated for about 330 shots per charge, in line with similar mirrorless cameras. It supports UHS-I/II SD cards for fast writing, crucial for high burst or 4K video.

Connectivity and Extras

The FE-47 offers no wireless connectivity, no HDMI, nor any advanced interface. Transfer is via USB 2.0 cable, slow but functional.

The E-M10 III offers built-in Wi-Fi for wireless transfer and remote shooting, an HDMI output for external monitors, and customizable menus. These modern conveniences improve workflow and enable tethering - important for professionals and keen enthusiasts.

Price and Value: What You Get for Your Money

As of writing, the Olympus FE-47 is an obsolete, entry-level compact likely found only used or at very low prices, while the E-M10 Mark III sells new around $650.

The FE-47’s core strengths are simplicity and extreme portability at literally any price point. The E-M10 III offers significantly greater photographic potential, image quality, and future-proofing - and is worth the additional investment if those features align with your goals.

Summary Scores and Visual Comparisons

Here is a consolidated look at overall strengths:

Real-World Sample Imagery

Viewing actual photos side-by-side illustrates practical IQ and versatility:

Olympus FE 47 front Olympus FE 47 screen back Olympus E M10 MIII front Olympus E M10 MIII screen back

Notice the richer detail, better dynamic range, and color depth from the E-M10 III files, especially in shadow areas and complex scenes. The FE-47 images are decent in bright daylight but quickly degrade with ISO increase or crop.

Genre-Specific Performance Highlights

Here’s a breakdown by photographic genre, rating suitability from 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent):

Who Should Buy Which?

Buy the Olympus FE-47 if:

• You want a super-compact, lightweight travel snapper for quick vacation or family photos.
• Budget is minimal and you primarily take photos in good lighting without demanding features.
• Simplicity and pocketability outweigh image quality or manual control.
• You need just a basic “point-and-shoot” with built-in flash, no fuss.

Choose the Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III if:

• You desire a versatile camera with excellent image quality for portraits, landscapes, street, and even wildlife or sports.
• You want manual controls, fast and accurate autofocus, and 4K video capabilities.
• You’re keen on expanding your system with lenses and creative tools.
• You require reliability, more robust build, and enhanced connectivity.
• You want a great balance between beginner-friendly features and expandable professional options.

Final Thoughts: Experience Matters Most

The Olympus FE-47 and E-M10 Mark III represent two distinct camera generations and philosophies. The FE-47 captures moments with ease, requiring almost no input but offering limited creative potential. The E-M10 III reflects maturity in imaging technology, empowering photographers to craft images with quality and nuance.

Through rigorous side-by-side testing in studios, outdoor shoots, and city streets, it’s clear the mirrorless E-M10 III vastly outperforms the compact FE-47 almost everywhere except sheer portability and simplicity.

If you’re serious about photography or envision improving your craft, investing in the E-M10 III system is a meaningful choice that will grow with you. For casual users seeking light pockets and easy snaps, the FE-47 is still a charming instant-capture machine but not a long-term photographic partner.

Thanks for joining me on this thorough lens across two Olympus cameras. I hope my firsthand experience helps illuminate the strengths and limits of each, so your next camera decision is one you enjoy every shutter release. Reach out with questions or for personalized advice anytime!

Warmly,

• Your friendly camera reviewer and fellow shutterbug

Disclosure: I have no direct affiliation with Olympus. Opinions here reflect independent testing and user-focused assessments accumulated over a decade and a half of camera reviews.