Olympus FE-5020 vs Panasonic GH3
95 Imaging
34 Features
20 Overall
28


66 Imaging
52 Features
80 Overall
63
Olympus FE-5020 vs Panasonic GH3 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 2.7" Fixed Display
- ISO 64 - 1600
- 640 x 480 video
- 24-120mm (F3.3-5.8) lens
- 137g - 93 x 56 x 25mm
- Revealed July 2009
- Alternate Name is X-935
(Full Review)
- 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
- 3" Fully Articulated Screen
- ISO 200 - 12800
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Micro Four Thirds Mount
- 550g - 133 x 93 x 82mm
- Introduced September 2012
- Earlier Model is Panasonic GH2
- Newer Model is Panasonic GH4

Olympus FE-5020 vs Panasonic GH3 Overview
Its time to take a closer look at the Olympus FE-5020 vs Panasonic GH3, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Advanced Mirrorless by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. There is a huge difference among the sensor resolutions of the FE-5020 (12MP) and GH3 (16MP) and the FE-5020 (1/2.3") and GH3 (Four Thirds) enjoy different sensor sizes.

The FE-5020 was unveiled 4 years earlier than the GH3 and that is a fairly significant gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus FE-5020 being a Compact camera and the Panasonic GH3 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.
Before getting in to a comprehensive comparison, below is a quick introduction of how the FE-5020 matches up vs the GH3 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Olympus FE-5020 vs Panasonic GH3 Gallery
Following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus FE-5020 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3. The full galleries are viewable at Olympus FE-5020 Gallery and Panasonic GH3 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus FE-5020 over the Panasonic GH3
FE-5020 | GH3 |
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Reasons to pick Panasonic GH3 over the Olympus FE-5020
GH3 | FE-5020 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Introduced | September 2012 | ![]() | July 2009 | More recent by 38 months |
Manual focus | ![]() | Very accurate focus | ||
Screen type | Fully Articulated | ![]() | Fixed | Fully Articulating screen |
Screen dimension | 3" | ![]() | 2.7" | Bigger screen (+0.3") |
Screen resolution | 614k | ![]() | 230k | Sharper screen (+384k dot) |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Easy selfies | ||
Touch screen | ![]() | Quickly navigate |
Common features in the Olympus FE-5020 and Panasonic GH3
FE-5020 | GH3 |
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Olympus FE-5020 vs Panasonic GH3 Physical Comparison
When you are looking to lug around your camera frequently, you will have to think about its weight and size. The Olympus FE-5020 has external dimensions of 93mm x 56mm x 25mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 1.0") accompanied by a weight of 137 grams (0.30 lbs) whilst the Panasonic GH3 has specifications of 133mm x 93mm x 82mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 3.2") having a weight of 550 grams (1.21 lbs).
Contrast the Olympus FE-5020 vs Panasonic GH3 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you have attached at that time. Below is the front view sizing comparison of the FE-5020 compared to the GH3.

Using size and weight, the portability rating of the FE-5020 and GH3 is 95 and 66 respectively.

Olympus FE-5020 vs Panasonic GH3 Sensor Comparison
Often, it is difficult to imagine the gap in sensor measurements purely by going through technical specs. The graphic underneath might offer you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the FE-5020 and GH3.
As you have seen, both cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The FE-5020 having a smaller sensor is going to make achieving bokeh tougher and the Panasonic GH3 will produce more detail having an extra 4MP. Higher resolution will also let you crop shots much more aggressively. The older FE-5020 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor tech.

Olympus FE-5020 vs Panasonic GH3 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus FE-5020 vs Panasonic GH3 Specifications
Olympus FE-5020 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Manufacturer | Olympus | Panasonic |
Model | Olympus FE-5020 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3 |
Also called as | X-935 | - |
Category | Small Sensor Compact | Advanced Mirrorless |
Revealed | 2009-07-22 | 2012-09-17 |
Body design | Compact | SLR-style mirrorless |
Sensor Information | ||
Chip | TruePic III | Venus Engine VII FHD |
Sensor type | CCD | CMOS |
Sensor size | 1/2.3" | Four Thirds |
Sensor dimensions | 6.17 x 4.55mm | 17.3 x 13mm |
Sensor area | 28.1mm² | 224.9mm² |
Sensor resolution | 12MP | 16MP |
Anti aliasing filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 4:3 | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 |
Peak resolution | 3968 x 2976 | 4608 x 3456 |
Highest native ISO | 1600 | 12800 |
Minimum native ISO | 64 | 200 |
RAW pictures | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Manual focus | ||
AF touch | ||
AF continuous | ||
AF single | ||
AF tracking | ||
Selective AF | ||
Center weighted AF | ||
Multi area AF | ||
AF live view | ||
Face detect focusing | ||
Contract detect focusing | ||
Phase detect focusing | ||
Number of focus points | - | 23 |
Lens | ||
Lens mount | fixed lens | Micro Four Thirds |
Lens focal range | 24-120mm (5.0x) | - |
Maximal aperture | f/3.3-5.8 | - |
Macro focus distance | 1cm | - |
Amount of lenses | - | 107 |
Focal length multiplier | 5.8 | 2.1 |
Screen | ||
Range of display | Fixed Type | Fully Articulated |
Display sizing | 2.7 inch | 3 inch |
Display resolution | 230k dot | 614k dot |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch display | ||
Display technology | - | OLED Monitor with static touch control |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder | None | Electronic |
Viewfinder resolution | - | 1,744k dot |
Viewfinder coverage | - | 100 percent |
Viewfinder magnification | - | 0.67x |
Features | ||
Minimum shutter speed | 4s | 60s |
Fastest shutter speed | 1/500s | 1/4000s |
Continuous shutter speed | - | 20.0fps |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Expose Manually | ||
Exposure compensation | - | Yes |
Custom WB | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Built-in flash | ||
Flash range | 4.10 m | 12.00 m |
Flash modes | Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Fill-in | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync |
Hot shoe | ||
Auto exposure bracketing | ||
WB bracketing | ||
Fastest flash sync | - | 1/160s |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment | ||
Average | ||
Spot | ||
Partial | ||
AF area | ||
Center weighted | ||
Video features | ||
Video resolutions | 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps) | 1920 x 1080 (60, 50, 30, 25 24 fps) 1280 x 720 (60, 50, 30, 25fps), 640 x 480 (30, 25fps |
Highest video resolution | 640x480 | 1920x1080 |
Video data format | Motion JPEG | MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264 |
Mic input | ||
Headphone input | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | None | Built-In |
Bluetooth | ||
NFC | ||
HDMI | ||
USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
GPS | None | None |
Physical | ||
Environmental seal | ||
Water proof | ||
Dust proof | ||
Shock proof | ||
Crush proof | ||
Freeze proof | ||
Weight | 137 gr (0.30 lbs) | 550 gr (1.21 lbs) |
Dimensions | 93 x 56 x 25mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 1.0") | 133 x 93 x 82mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 3.2") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO Overall score | not tested | 71 |
DXO Color Depth score | not tested | 22.7 |
DXO Dynamic range score | not tested | 12.4 |
DXO Low light score | not tested | 812 |
Other | ||
Battery life | - | 540 shots |
Battery format | - | Battery Pack |
Battery model | LI-42B | - |
Self timer | Yes (12 seconds) | Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10 sec (3 images)) |
Time lapse recording | ||
Type of storage | xD-Picture Card, microSD | SD/SDHC/SDXC |
Storage slots | 1 | 1 |
Retail price | $160 | $799 |