Olympus FE-5010 vs Panasonic FZ70

Below, we will be reviewing the Olympus FE-5010 and Panasonic FZ70, one is a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a huge gap between the image resolutions of the FE-5010 (12MP) and FZ70 (16MP) but they use the exact same sensor dimensions (1/2.3").

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The FE-5010 was introduced 5 years before the FZ70 which is quite a significant gap as far as technology is concerned. Both cameras come with different body type with the Olympus FE-5010 being a Compact camera and the Panasonic FZ70 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before diving straight into a full comparison, below is a quick summation of how the FE-5010 matches up vs the FZ70 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

The following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus FE-5010 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ70. The whole galleries are provided at Olympus FE-5010 Gallery and Panasonic FZ70 Gallery.

If you are intending to carry around your camera, you will want to take into account its weight and volume. The Olympus FE-5010 enjoys external measurements of 96mm x 57mm x 21mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.8") with a weight of 130 grams (0.29 lbs) whilst the Panasonic FZ70 has sizing of 130mm x 97mm x 118mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 4.6") having a weight of 606 grams (1.34 lbs).

See the Olympus FE-5010 and Panasonic FZ70 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 at that time. Following is the front view sizing comparison of the FE-5010 and the FZ70.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the FE-5010 and FZ70 is 96 and 63 respectively.

Sometimes, its tough to visualise the contrast between sensor sizes just by reading a spec sheet. The image underneath might provide you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the FE-5010 and FZ70.

As you can see, both of these cameras posses the exact same sensor measurements albeit not the same resolution. You should expect the Panasonic FZ70 to offer extra detail using its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will also help you crop photographs somewhat more aggressively. The more aged FE-5010 is going to be behind in sensor innovation.