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Olympus FE-5020 vs Panasonic GH3

Portability
95
Imaging
34
Features
20
Overall
28
Olympus FE-5020 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3 front
Portability
66
Imaging
52
Features
80
Overall
63

Olympus FE-5020 vs Panasonic GH3 Key Specs

Olympus FE-5020
(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
Panasonic GH3
(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
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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.

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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.

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Reasons to pick Olympus FE-5020 over the Panasonic GH3

 FE-5020 GH3 

Reasons to pick Panasonic GH3 over the Olympus FE-5020

 GH3 FE-5020 
IntroducedSeptember 2012July 2009More recent by 38 months
Manual focus Very accurate focus
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen dimension3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution614k230kSharper screen (+384k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Olympus FE-5020 and Panasonic GH3

 FE-5020 GH3 

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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Olympus FE-5020 vs Panasonic GH3 size comparison

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

Olympus FE-5020 vs Panasonic GH3 top view buttons comparison

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 sensor size comparison

Olympus FE-5020 vs Panasonic GH3 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus FE-5020 vs Panasonic GH3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus FE-5020 as a Portrait photography camera
Panasonic GH3 as a Portrait photography camera
20
no manual focus
lack of manual exposure
no external flash support
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
71
focusing manually
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
has face detection autofocus
delivers RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus FE-5020 as a Street photography camera
Panasonic GH3 as a Street photography camera
59
weather sealing
lighter than others (137 grams)
screen does not articulate
lack of image stabilization
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
65
fully articulated screen
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
has focus via touch
environment sealing
does not have image stabilization
heavier than competition (550g)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus FE-5020 as a Sports photography camera
Panasonic GH3 as a Sports photography camera
24
weather sealing
low max shutter speed (1/500s)
no shutter priority mode
lack of image stabilization
megapixel count low (12MP)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect AF
63
high fps (20.0 frames per second)
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
has tracking autofocus
environment sealing
good battery life (540 shots)
does not have image stabilization
has no phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus FE-5020 Travel photography advice
Panasonic GH3 Travel photography advice
64
lighter than others (137g)
weather sealing
flash built-in
really wide (24mm)
missing Time Lapse function
megapixel count low (12MP)
does not have a selfie friendly screen
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.3)
71
good battery life (540 CIPA)
environment sealing
has focus via touch
good megapixels (16MP)
flash built-in
screen is selfie friendly
heavier than competition (550g)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus FE-5020 Landscape photography highlights
Panasonic GH3 Landscape photography highlights
31
really wide (24mm)
weather sealing
no manual focus
can't switch lenses (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.3)
screen is somewhat small (2.7")
lack of manual exposure
lack of image stabilization
megapixel count low (12MP)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
missing Time Lapse function
71
focusing manually
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3")
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
environment sealing
good battery life (540 CIPA)
does not have image stabilization
Photography Glossary

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus FE-5020 as a Vlogging camera
Panasonic GH3 as a Vlogging camera
28
really wide (24mm)
lighter than others (137g)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.3)
does not have a selfie friendly screen
lack of image stabilization
low video resolution (640 x 480 pxls)
missing external mic socket
65
screen is selfie friendly
touchscreen enabled
has face detection autofocus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
has external mic jack
does not have image stabilization
heavier than competition (550 grams)
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Olympus FE-5020 vs Panasonic GH3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus FE-5020 and Panasonic GH3
 Olympus FE-5020Panasonic 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