Olympus FE-5020 vs Panasonic FZ80

Let's take a more detailed look at the Olympus FE-5020 vs Panasonic FZ80, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by companies Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a significant gap between the image resolutions of the FE-5020 (12MP) and FZ80 (18MP) but they use the same exact sensor sizing (1/2.3").

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The FE-5020 was brought out 8 years before the FZ80 and that is quite a sizable gap as far as technology is concerned. Each of these cameras offer different body type with the Olympus FE-5020 being a Compact camera and the Panasonic FZ80 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before diving in to a step-by-step comparison, below is a simple introduction of how the FE-5020 scores vs the FZ80 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus FE-5020 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ80. The entire galleries are available at Olympus FE-5020 Gallery and Panasonic FZ80 Gallery.

In case you're intending to lug around your camera often, you have to factor in its weight and size. The Olympus FE-5020 has got outer dimensions of 93mm x 56mm x 25mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 1.0") and a weight of 137 grams (0.30 lbs) whilst the Panasonic FZ80 has specifications of 130mm x 94mm x 119mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 4.7") and a weight of 616 grams (1.36 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus FE-5020 vs Panasonic FZ80 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you choose during that time. The following is the front view size comparison of the FE-5020 vs the FZ80.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the FE-5020 and FZ80 is 95 and 63 respectively.

Quite often, it can be tough to visualize the gap between sensor measurements just by going over specifications. The graphic below should provide you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the FE-5020 and FZ80.

To sum up, both of these cameras enjoy the same exact sensor sizing albeit different resolution. You should expect the Panasonic FZ80 to offer you extra detail having its extra 6MP. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop pictures far more aggressively. The older FE-5020 is going to be behind with regard to sensor tech.