Olympus FE-47 vs Samsung TL500

Olympus FE-47 vs Samsung TL500: A Hands-On Comparison from Experience

Photography gear testing is as much about understanding human interaction with technology as it is about specs. Having spent over 15 years using thousands of cameras - from professional DSLRs to compact point-and-shoots - I know that good decisions hinge on real-world performance, not only on paper. Today, I’m diving deep into two small-sensor compacts announced in 2010: the Olympus FE-47 and the Samsung TL500 (also known as EX1). While both occupy a similar category, their design philosophies and capabilities differ significantly. Let me walk you through their strengths, compromises, and ideal users based on extensive hands-on experience and rigorous testing.

Setting the Stage: Physical Presence and Ergonomics

Compact cameras are often judged by pocketability and usability - how they feel in your hand and how accessible the controls are during shooting.

The Olympus FE-47 is one of the smallest in its class, sporting a slim profile with dimensions of 98x61x27 mm and a featherweight body at just 204 grams. It runs on two AA batteries, which is convenient for travel since replacements are easily found worldwide, but its ergonomics are quite basic. Its grip is minimal, reflecting an ultra-portable, no-frills approach.

In contrast, the Samsung TL500 is noticeably larger and heavier - 114x63x29 mm and 386 grams - giving a more substantial, “professional” feel in hand despite still being a compact. This added heft helps with stability, especially when shooting longer focal lengths or in manual modes.

The top and rear controls reinforce these differences: The TL500 features a more sophisticated layout with tactile buttons and a ring control around the lens for manual focusing or aperture adjustment, whereas the FE-47 keeps it simple with minimal buttons and no manual focus option.

Ergonomically, if you value a tactile, camera-like experience with manual controls, the TL500 is the clear winner. The FE-47 feels utilitarian - great for snapshots, but limited if you like tactile feedback and precise control.

Examining the Design DNA: Top View and Handling

Looking at the top plates gives more clues about user intent and operational style.

Samsung’s TL500 offers a dedicated mode dial including aperture and shutter priority modes, giving users creative exposure control - a boon for more advanced amateurs and enthusiasts. The Olympus FE-47, in contrast, is fully automatic with no manual exposure options, underscoring its entry-level positioning.

The TL500 includes a hot shoe for external flashes - a thoughtful addition that expands lighting options. The FE-47’s built-in flash is basic and fixed, without external support.

In my testing, the TL500’s shutter button and zoom lever are nicely positioned for one-handed operation, facilitating quick response times. The FE-47 feels cramped in comparison, limiting intuitive handling during fast shooting scenarios.

Under the Hood: Sensor Differences and Image Quality Expectations

Image quality - at the core of any camera decision - is heavily influenced by sensor size, technology, and image processing engines.

The Olympus FE-47 packs a 1/2.3" CCD sensor with 14 megapixels, while the Samsung TL500 boasts a larger 1/1.7" CCD sensor with 10 megapixels.

That may sound like the Olympus has an edge on resolution, but experience tells me that bigger sensor area generally translates to better image quality. The TL500’s sensor size of roughly 41.5 mm² allows for larger individual pixels, which improves dynamic range, noise control, and color fidelity. The FE-47’s sensor is limited to about 27.7 mm², constraining performance especially in low light.

Early professional testing (including DxOMark, where the TL500 scores an overall 40 points for color depth and dynamic range) supports this assessment. The FE-47 lacks official metric data but given the sensor size and technology, it can’t compete with the TL500’s superior image quality potential.

If you look at the maximum native ISO, the TL500 goes up to ISO 3200, while the FE-47 caps at ISO 1600. The TL500 also supports RAW files, a critical feature for post-processing flexibility, absent in the FE-47.

On-Screen Experience: LCD and User Interface

The rear LCD is your window - not just to framing but also critical for menu navigation and reviewing shots.

Although neither camera has a viewfinder, the TL500’s 3-inch fully articulating screen with 614k dots resolution delivers a bright, clear display, making it versatile for shooting at awkward angles (think low to the ground macro or overhead crowd shots). The FE-47’s fixed 2.7-inch screen at 230k dots is notably lower in resolution and lacks articulation, reducing framing flexibility.

Working intuitively with the TL500’s menu system and customizable options reveals a camera designed with enthusiasts in mind. In contrast, the FE-47’s menu is simplified to guide beginners, limiting creative control.

Portraiture: Skin Tones, Bokeh, and Autofocus

When I test cameras for portrait use, I focus on skin tone reproduction, autofocus accuracy, and the aesthetic quality of background blur - the holy grail for isolating subjects.

The Olympus FE-47 uses contrast-detection autofocus with no face or eye detection and a fixed autofocus system. While it does possess selectable AF areas, it lacks tracking or dedicated face-priority AF. This can lead to hunting or missed focus on expressive, dynamic portraits. Its limited aperture range (f/3.5–5.6) and sensor size mean bokeh is generally weak - a common limitation with small sensor compacts.

The Samsung TL500 steps up here: manual focus enables precise control when needed, and the lens aperture range of f/1.8 to f/2.4 on the wide end lets in much more light, creating softer backgrounds with pleasing bokeh. Although it lacks eye-detection AF, contrast-based AF paired with center-weighted metering gives sharp focus for posed portraits, especially in good light.

In terms of color, the TL500 produces richer, warmer skin tones naturally, though I often tweak hues in RAW files. The FE-47 can render slightly washed-out tones under mixed lighting, necessitating post-processing to correct.

Capturing Landscapes: Resolution, Dynamic Range, and Weather Resistance

Landscape photography requires high resolution, good dynamic range to capture shadows and highlights, and solid build quality for various environments.

The Olympus FE-47’s higher megapixel count (14MP) seems attractive but comes with more noise at base ISO and lower dynamic range due to smaller sensor size. It has no weather sealing - typical for entry-level compacts - which limits use in harsh conditions.

Samsung’s TL500 may offer fewer pixels but the larger sensor provides superior tonal gradation and cleaner shadows, creating more pleasing landscape images without banding in shadow recovery. Its fast aperture helps in low-light dawn/dusk shots.

Neither camera is weather sealed, so I advise caution shooting in rain or dusty conditions with these models.

Wildlife and Sports: Autofocus Agility and Burst Rates

Speed and accuracy of autofocus alongside continuous shooting capabilities define a camera’s suitability for fast action.

The Olympus FE-47’s autofocus is contrast detection only, no phase detection or predictive tracking, resulting in noticeably slower focus acquisition. Its continuous shooting is effectively non-existent - the spec sheet states “n/a” for burst modes, which means missing crucial moments in dynamic scenes.

Similarly, Samsung’s TL500 lacks fast burst shooting or autofocus tracking capabilities. It supports single AF only. Therefore, neither camera is ideal for capturing fast wildlife or sports.

Still, the TL500’s manual focus ring can be useful for wildlife photography when you have time to pre-focus, but it is not a substitute for high-speed AF.

Street Photography: Discretion, Handling, and Low-Light Performance

For street photographers, size, silence, and quick responsiveness are key.

The Olympus FE-47’s compact size is a plus for inconspicuous shooting, but its slower lens and noisy operation (no silent shutter) can be distracting. The lack of manual controls can limit creative shots.

The Samsung TL500 is larger but comparatively quiet with quick launch times and aperture/shutter priority modes for greater exposure creativity on the fly.

Low-light street snapshots benefit from the TL500’s wider apertures and higher ISO capabilities, markedly better than the FE-47’s. For serious street photographers who want to blend in, neither camera is perfect, but the FE-47’s size wins for discretion, while the TL500 edges out in image quality.

Macro: Close Focusing and Stability

Macro photography demands sharp autofocus at close distances and ideally optical image stabilization.

Olympus touts a 3cm macro focus range, closer than Samsung’s 5cm minimum. Yet without any stabilization or manual focus, capturing ultra-close details like insects can be challenging on the FE-47.

The TL500 incorporates optical image stabilization, a big advantage for handheld macro. Plus, manual focus lets you fine-tune focus precisely.

I found the TL500 consistently easier and more satisfying for macro work despite not reaching as close as Olympus in theory.

Night and Astro Photography: ISO Performance and Exposure Control

Long exposures and high ISO are critical for nightscapes and astrophotography.

Neither camera is optimized for high ISO; the FE-47 tops out at ISO 1600, heavily noisy at that level, while the TL500 doubles that with ISO 3200, but noise increases significantly beyond ISO 800.

The TL500’s longer minimum shutter speed (up to 8 seconds) and manual exposure modes allow more creative night shots; the FE-47 maxes out at 1/4 second with no manual exposure, limiting such use.

Neither camera supports bulb mode or advanced astro tools, so both are limited to casual night photography.

Video: Recording Specs and Stabilization

Neither camera excels at video. Both max out at 640x480 resolution at 30 fps, the TL500 encoding in H.264 (a better codec) versus Motion JPEG on the FE-47.

Only the TL500 has optical image stabilization, improving handheld video. Audio input is absent on both.

For anyone prioritizing video, neither camera will satisfy beyond very casual use.

Travel and Professional Use: Battery, Versatility, and Reliability

The FE-47’s use of standard AA batteries provides flexibility and easy swaps abroad, but suffers from lower power efficiency and potential issues with battery life consistency.

The TL500 uses a proprietary lithium-ion battery (SLB-07A) with longer life per charge, but requires charger compatibility.

Both store images on SD/SDHC cards, standard at the time.

Neither camera boasts environmental sealing, rugged build, or professional-grade reliability, so I wouldn’t recommend them for harsh professional workflows.

Comprehensive Performance Overview

After spending weeks shooting in diverse situations with both cameras, I rated their key traits as follows:

Olympus FE 47 front Olympus FE 47 screen back Samsung TL500 screen back

The TL500 broadly outperforms the FE-47 in image quality, control, ergonomics, and versatility, but is bulkier and pricier.

How They Fare Across Photography Genres

Breaking down the cameras’ suitability:

• Portrait: TL500 wins for bokeh, exposure control, and manual focus.
• Landscape: TL500’s dynamic range and low-light edge trump FE-47’s higher megapixels.
• Wildlife / Sports: Neither camera suits high speed or tracking.
• Street: FE-47 more discreet but TL500 offers better image quality and handling.
• Macro: TL500’s stabilization and manual focus offer practical advantage.
• Night/Astro: TL500’s longer shutter and ISO give it an edge.
• Video: Both very limited; TL500 slightly better.
• Travel: FE-47 lightweight with AA batteries; TL500 more versatile but heavier.
• Professional: Neither fits modern pro workflow.

Final Thoughts: Who Should Pick Which?

If your budget is tight and your needs are casual snapshots with simple user interface, the Olympus FE-47 offers a compact, straightforward camera with ease of use and ultra-lightweight portability. It works best for beginners or travelers wanting a small camera for daylight shooting without fuss.

Conversely, if you are an enthusiast seeking better image quality, creative exposure options, and manual control in a compact form, the Samsung TL500 is a clear recommendation. While heavier and somewhat pricier, its lens speed, sensor size, stabilization, and RAW support deliver results closer to serious compact cameras.

Practical Buying Tips

• Opt for the TL500 if you want more expressive image quality and manual features without stepping into bulky DSLRs or mirrorless systems.
• Choose the FE-47 if absolute portability and battery convenience trump image quality and advanced controls.
• Neither camera will satisfy serious wildlife or sports photographers due to limited autofocus and frame rate.
• Video enthusiasts should consider more modern cameras with HD or 4K capabilities and external audio input.
• Always test cameras for your specific use cases if possible; real-world handling and image style are personal.

Closing Reflection

The Olympus FE-47 and Samsung TL500 reveal the diverse approaches compact cameras can take. The FE-47 is a lightweight, easy-to-use snapshot tool, while the TL500 pushes toward creative control and image quality that enthusiasts crave, albeit with more bulk.

Both are now legacy models, but understanding their strengths and tradeoffs remains meaningful for appreciating camera design tradeoffs and the evolution of compact photography.

If you're interested in similar hands-on assessments or want to explore modern camera options aligned with your style, feel free to reach out or explore my detailed reviews on contemporary gear. Remember - cameras should inspire your creativity, not limit it.

Note: The above analysis is based on extensive personal testing in varied environments - studio, outdoors, low light, and everyday shooting - using standardized industry methodologies, including resolution charts, color target assessments, and real-world scenarios.