Olympus FE-47 vs Olympus E-PM1

Its time to take a closer look at the Olympus FE-47 vs Olympus E-PM1, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and both are designed by Olympus. The image resolution of the FE-47 (14MP) and the E-PM1 (12MP) is fairly comparable but the FE-47 (1/2.3") and E-PM1 (Four Thirds) use totally different sensor measurements.

Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

The FE-47 was launched 22 months prior to the E-PM1 making the cameras a generation apart from each other. Each of these cameras offer different body type with the Olympus FE-47 being a Compact camera and the Olympus E-PM1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving straight into a detailed comparison, below is a simple introduction of how the FE-47 scores vs the E-PM1 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Here is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus FE-47 & Olympus PEN E-PM1. The complete galleries are available at Olympus FE-47 Gallery & Olympus E-PM1 Gallery.

For anybody who is planning to carry your camera often, you will need to factor in its weight and volume. The Olympus FE-47 offers external dimensions of 98mm x 61mm x 27mm (3.9" x 2.4" x 1.1") having a weight of 204 grams (0.45 lbs) while the Olympus E-PM1 has sizing of 110mm x 64mm x 34mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.3") and a weight of 265 grams (0.58 lbs).

Look at the Olympus FE-47 vs Olympus E-PM1 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you are employing during that time. The following is the front view proportions comparison of the FE-47 compared to the E-PM1.

Using size and weight, the portability rating of the FE-47 and E-PM1 is 93 and 89 respectively.

In many cases, it is very hard to visualise the difference in sensor sizing only by going through specifications. The photograph below might provide you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the FE-47 and E-PM1.

Plainly, the two cameras offer different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The FE-47 because of its smaller sensor will make achieving shallow depth of field more difficult and the Olympus FE-47 will provide more detail utilizing its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also help you crop images a little more aggressively. The older FE-47 will be disadvantaged in sensor tech.