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Olympus E-M1 vs Panasonic FX48

Portability
71
Imaging
53
Features
85
Overall
65
Olympus OM-D E-M1 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX48 front
Portability
95
Imaging
34
Features
21
Overall
28

Olympus E-M1 vs Panasonic FX48 Key Specs

Olympus E-M1
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 497g - 130 x 94 x 63mm
  • Announced October 2013
  • Refreshed by Olympus E-M1 II
Panasonic FX48
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 3200 (Push to 6400)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 25-125mm (F2.8-5.9) lens
  • 150g - 95 x 53 x 22mm
  • Launched January 2009
  • Also referred to as Lumix DMC-FX40
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-M1 vs Panasonic FX48 Overview

Following is a detailed comparison of the Olympus E-M1 and Panasonic FX48, former is a Pro Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by brands Olympus and Panasonic. There is a sizable difference among the image resolutions of the E-M1 (16MP) and FX48 (12MP) and the E-M1 (Four Thirds) and FX48 (1/2.3") boast different sensor sizing.

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The E-M1 was manufactured 4 years after the FX48 which is a fairly significant difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-M1 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic FX48 being a Compact camera.

Before diving into a complete comparison, here is a concise view of how the E-M1 matches up vs the FX48 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M1 over the Panasonic FX48

 E-M1 FX48 
LaunchedOctober 2013January 2009More modern by 58 months
Focus manually Very exact focusing
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen dimensions3"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.5")
Screen resolution1037k230kClearer screen (+807k dot)
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic FX48 over the Olympus E-M1

 FX48 E-M1 

Common features in the Olympus E-M1 and Panasonic FX48

 E-M1 FX48 
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen

Olympus E-M1 vs Panasonic FX48 Physical Comparison

If you are going to carry around your camera, you will need to consider its weight and volume. The Olympus E-M1 comes with outer dimensions of 130mm x 94mm x 63mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.5") along with a weight of 497 grams (1.10 lbs) while the Panasonic FX48 has sizing of 95mm x 53mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.9") having a weight of 150 grams (0.33 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-M1 and Panasonic FX48 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you are utilising at the time. The following is a front view measurement comparison of the E-M1 against the FX48.

Olympus E-M1 vs Panasonic FX48 size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability grade of the E-M1 and FX48 is 71 and 95 respectively.

Olympus E-M1 vs Panasonic FX48 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M1 vs Panasonic FX48 Sensor Comparison

Generally, its hard to visualize the difference in sensor sizes just by researching technical specs. The picture below should give you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-M1 and FX48.

As you can tell, the 2 cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The E-M1 because of its bigger sensor is going to make getting shallow DOF simpler and the Olympus E-M1 will render greater detail due to its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop shots more aggressively. The newer E-M1 provides an advantage with regard to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-M1 vs Panasonic FX48 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M1 vs Panasonic FX48 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M1 vs Panasonic FX48 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Portrait photography factors
Panasonic FX48 Portrait photography factors
71
has manual focus
above average flash sync (1/320s)
good MP (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
has face detect focus
saves RAW formats
27
provides face detect focusing
no manual focus
cannot use external flash
low megapixels (12MP)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Street photography features
Panasonic FX48 Street photography features
78
screen tilts
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
boasts focus via touch
environment proofing
lighter than others in class (497 grams)
above average high ISO (25,600)
56
has image stabilization (Optical)
no moving screen
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M1 as a Sports photography camera
Panasonic FX48 as a Sports photography camera
70
high shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good MP (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
has tracking focus
environment proofing
sensor has phase detect auto focus
low battery (350 shots)
25
has image stabilization (Optical)
slow fps (2.0 fps)
no shutter priority
low megapixels (12MP)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-M1
Travel photography with Panasonic FX48
65
lighter than others in class (497 grams)
environment proofing
boasts focus via touch
good MP (16 megapixels)
low battery (350 CIPA)
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
58
flash built-in
pretty wide (25mm)
missing Time Lapse recording
low megapixels (12MP)
screen isn't selfie friendly
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-M1
Landscape photography with Panasonic FX48
73
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
good sized screen (3")
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good MP (16MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
above average high ISO (25,600)
saves RAW formats
environment proofing
low battery (350 shots)
33
pretty wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
no manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
screen is small (2.5")
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
missing Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Vlogging factors
Panasonic FX48 Vlogging factors
36
touch screen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
has face detect focus
great video quality (1920 x 1080 pixels)
includes mic socket
lighter than others in class (497g)
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
30
pretty wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
provides face detect focusing
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
screen isn't selfie friendly
low quality video (640 x 480 resolution)
missing mic socket
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Olympus E-M1 vs Panasonic FX48 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M1 and Panasonic FX48
 Olympus OM-D E-M1Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX48
General Information
Make Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus OM-D E-M1 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX48
Also called as - Lumix DMC-FX40
Type Pro Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Announced 2013-10-28 2009-01-27
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePIC VII -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 12MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 4608 x 3456 4000 x 3000
Maximum native ISO 25600 3200
Maximum enhanced ISO - 6400
Min native ISO 100 80
RAW files
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Number of focus points 81 11
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 25-125mm (5.0x)
Largest aperture - f/2.8-5.9
Macro focus distance - 5cm
Total lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.9
Screen
Type of screen Tilting Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3 inch 2.5 inch
Screen resolution 1,037 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 2,360 thousand dots -
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.74x -
Features
Min shutter speed 60 secs 60 secs
Max shutter speed 1/8000 secs 1/3000 secs
Continuous shutter rate 10.0 frames per second 2.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range no built-in flash 6.00 m
Flash settings Flash Auto, Redeye, Fill-in, Flash Off, Red-eye Slow sync (1st curtain), Slow sync (1st curtain), Slow sync (2nd curtain), Manual Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Max flash synchronize 1/320 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 640x480
Video data format H.264, Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 497g (1.10 lb) 150g (0.33 lb)
Physical dimensions 130 x 94 x 63mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.5") 95 x 53 x 22mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 73 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 23.0 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 12.7 not tested
DXO Low light score 757 not tested
Other
Battery life 350 photographs -
Battery type Battery Pack -
Battery model BLN-1 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/MMC/SDHC card, Internal
Card slots Single Single
Launch price $799 $325