Olympus E-M1 III vs Panasonic FH20

Below is a comprehensive assessment of the Olympus E-M1 III and Panasonic FH20, former being a Pro Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Compact by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. There is a substantial difference among the sensor resolutions of the E-M1 III (20MP) and FH20 (14MP) and the E-M1 III (Four Thirds) and FH20 (1/2.3") provide different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The E-M1 III was released 10 years later than the FH20 and that is a fairly big difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-M1 III being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic FH20 being a Compact camera.

Before diving right into a more detailed comparison, here is a concise introduction of how the E-M1 III grades vs the FH20 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III & Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH20. The complete galleries are available at Olympus E-M1 III Gallery & Panasonic FH20 Gallery.

For anybody who is going to lug around your camera frequently, you are going to need to factor in its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-M1 III enjoys outer measurements of 134mm x 91mm x 69mm (5.3" x 3.6" x 2.7") and a weight of 580 grams (1.28 lbs) and the Panasonic FH20 has measurements of 100mm x 56mm x 28mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 1.1") along with a weight of 178 grams (0.39 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-M1 III and Panasonic FH20 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you are employing at that moment. Here is a front view sizing comparison of the E-M1 III compared to the FH20.

Considering size and weight, the portability score of the E-M1 III and FH20 is 67 and 93 respectively.

In many cases, it is hard to visualize the contrast in sensor measurements just by looking through specs. The graphic below will offer you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-M1 III and FH20.

As you can plainly see, both of those cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-M1 III because of its larger sensor is going to make getting shallower DOF easier and the Olympus E-M1 III will result in extra detail as a result of its extra 6MP. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop pics a bit more aggressively. The newer E-M1 III provides an edge in sensor innovation.