Olympus FE-47 vs Olympus E-M5

Below, we are looking at the Olympus FE-47 and Olympus E-M5, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Advanced Mirrorless and both are created by Olympus. The image resolution of the FE-47 (14MP) and the E-M5 (16MP) is very comparable but the FE-47 (1/2.3") and E-M5 (Four Thirds) feature different sensor sizing.

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The FE-47 was launched 3 years before the E-M5 and that is a fairly large gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus FE-47 being a Compact camera and the Olympus E-M5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before going through a step-by-step comparison, below is a brief summary of how the FE-47 matches up vs the E-M5 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

The following is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus FE-47 and Olympus OM-D E-M5. The complete galleries are provided at Olympus FE-47 Gallery and Olympus E-M5 Gallery.

If you are going to carry your camera, you have to factor in its weight and size. The Olympus FE-47 features outer measurements of 98mm x 61mm x 27mm (3.9" x 2.4" x 1.1") along with a weight of 204 grams (0.45 lbs) and the Olympus E-M5 has specifications of 122mm x 89mm x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") accompanied by a weight of 425 grams (0.94 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus FE-47 and Olympus E-M5 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you use during that time. The following is the front view size comparison of the FE-47 versus the E-M5.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the FE-47 and E-M5 is 93 and 81 respectively.

Normally, its tough to picture the difference in sensor sizing purely by seeing a spec sheet. The graphic below will help provide you a clearer sense of the sensor measurements in the FE-47 and E-M5.

As you can see, each of the cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The FE-47 because of its smaller sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF more challenging and the Olympus E-M5 will provide more detail utilizing its extra 2MP. Greater resolution will also help you crop pics much more aggressively. The older FE-47 will be disadvantaged in sensor technology.