Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic FH7
81 Imaging
51 Features
70 Overall
58
96 Imaging
38 Features
36 Overall
37
Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic FH7 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
- 3" Tilting Screen
- ISO 200 - 25600
- Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Micro Four Thirds Mount
- 425g - 122 x 89 x 43mm
- Released April 2012
- Renewed by Olympus E-M5 II
(Full Review)
- 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Screen
- ISO 100 - 6400
- Optical Image Stabilization
- 1280 x 720 video
- 28-112mm (F3.1-6.5) lens
- 126g - 95 x 56 x 19mm
- Released September 2011
- Also referred to as Lumix DMC-FS22
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic FH7 Overview
On this page, we will be evaluating the Olympus E-M5 and Panasonic FH7, former is a Advanced Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. The sensor resolution of the E-M5 (16MP) and the FH7 (16MP) is relatively similar but the E-M5 (Four Thirds) and FH7 (1/2.3") boast totally different sensor size.
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhoneThe E-M5 was released 8 months after the FH7 and they are of a similar age. Both cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-M5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic FH7 being a Compact camera.
Before we go into a complete comparison, here is a brief summary of how the E-M5 grades against the FH7 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.
Photography Glossary Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic FH7 Gallery
Here is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus OM-D E-M5 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH7. The complete galleries are available at Olympus E-M5 Gallery & Panasonic FH7 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 over the Panasonic FH7
| E-M5 | FH7 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Released | April 2012 | September 2011 | Newer by 8 months | |
| Manual focus | Very precise focusing | |||
| Screen type | Tilting | Fixed | Tilting screen | |
| Screen resolution | 610k | 230k | Clearer screen (+380k dot) |
Reasons to pick Panasonic FH7 over the Olympus E-M5
| FH7 | E-M5 |
|---|
Common features in the Olympus E-M5 and Panasonic FH7
| E-M5 | FH7 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Screen dimensions | 3" | 3" | Equal screen size | |
| Selfie screen | Lack of selfie screen | |||
| Touch screen | Quickly navigate |
Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic FH7 Physical Comparison
For those who are aiming to travel with your camera often, you need to think about its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-M5 comes with physical dimensions of 122mm x 89mm x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") with a weight of 425 grams (0.94 lbs) and the Panasonic FH7 has measurements of 95mm x 56mm x 19mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.7") accompanied by a weight of 126 grams (0.28 lbs).
Examine the Olympus E-M5 and Panasonic FH7 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Remember that, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you are utilizing during that time. The following is a front view sizing comparison of the E-M5 compared to the FH7.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-M5 and FH7 is 81 and 96 respectively.
Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic FH7 Sensor Comparison
Sometimes, it is very hard to envision the difference between sensor dimensions just by reviewing technical specs. The image below may provide you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-M5 and FH7.
As you have seen, both of these cameras provide the same megapixels albeit not the same sensor dimensions. The E-M5 comes with the bigger sensor which is going to make getting shallow DOF less difficult. The fresher E-M5 is going to have an advantage when it comes to sensor tech.
Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic FH7 Screen and ViewFinder
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Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic FH7 Specifications
| Olympus OM-D E-M5 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH7 | |
|---|---|---|
| General Information | ||
| Company | Olympus | Panasonic |
| Model | Olympus OM-D E-M5 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH7 |
| Also referred to as | - | Lumix DMC-FS22 |
| Type | Advanced Mirrorless | Small Sensor Compact |
| Released | 2012-04-30 | 2011-09-07 |
| Body design | SLR-style mirrorless | Compact |
| Sensor Information | ||
| Processor Chip | TruePic VI | Venus Engine IV |
| Sensor type | CMOS | CCD |
| Sensor size | Four Thirds | 1/2.3" |
| Sensor measurements | 17.3 x 13mm | 6.08 x 4.56mm |
| Sensor surface area | 224.9mm² | 27.7mm² |
| Sensor resolution | 16 megapixels | 16 megapixels |
| Anti aliasing filter | ||
| Aspect ratio | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 |
| Highest resolution | 4608 x 3456 | 4608 x 3456 |
| Highest native ISO | 25600 | 6400 |
| Minimum native ISO | 200 | 100 |
| RAW data | ||
| Minimum boosted ISO | 100 | - |
| Autofocusing | ||
| Focus manually | ||
| Touch focus | ||
| AF continuous | ||
| Single AF | ||
| Tracking AF | ||
| AF selectice | ||
| AF center weighted | ||
| Multi area AF | ||
| Live view AF | ||
| Face detection focusing | ||
| Contract detection focusing | ||
| Phase detection focusing | ||
| Number of focus points | 35 | 11 |
| Lens | ||
| Lens mounting type | Micro Four Thirds | fixed lens |
| Lens focal range | - | 28-112mm (4.0x) |
| Maximal aperture | - | f/3.1-6.5 |
| Macro focus range | - | 5cm |
| Total lenses | 107 | - |
| Crop factor | 2.1 | 5.9 |
| Screen | ||
| Range of screen | Tilting | Fixed Type |
| Screen diagonal | 3" | 3" |
| Resolution of screen | 610k dot | 230k dot |
| Selfie friendly | ||
| Liveview | ||
| Touch display | ||
| Screen tech | Touch control in electrostatic capacitance type OLED monitor | - |
| Viewfinder Information | ||
| Viewfinder | Electronic | None |
| Viewfinder resolution | 1,440k dot | - |
| Viewfinder coverage | 100 percent | - |
| Viewfinder magnification | 0.58x | - |
| Features | ||
| Slowest shutter speed | 60 secs | 60 secs |
| Maximum shutter speed | 1/4000 secs | 1/1600 secs |
| Continuous shooting speed | 9.0fps | 4.0fps |
| Shutter priority | ||
| Aperture priority | ||
| Expose Manually | ||
| Exposure compensation | Yes | - |
| Custom WB | ||
| Image stabilization | ||
| Integrated flash | ||
| Flash range | no built-in flash | 3.30 m |
| Flash modes | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync (2), Manual (3 levels) | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction |
| External flash | ||
| AEB | ||
| WB bracketing | ||
| Maximum flash sync | 1/250 secs | - |
| Exposure | ||
| Multisegment | ||
| Average | ||
| Spot | ||
| Partial | ||
| AF area | ||
| Center weighted | ||
| Video features | ||
| Supported video resolutions | 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) | 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) |
| Highest video resolution | 1920x1080 | 1280x720 |
| Video data format | H.264, Motion JPEG | Motion JPEG |
| Microphone input | ||
| Headphone input | ||
| Connectivity | ||
| Wireless | Eye-Fi Connected | None |
| Bluetooth | ||
| NFC | ||
| HDMI | ||
| USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
| GPS | None | None |
| Physical | ||
| Environment seal | ||
| Water proof | ||
| Dust proof | ||
| Shock proof | ||
| Crush proof | ||
| Freeze proof | ||
| Weight | 425 grams (0.94 lbs) | 126 grams (0.28 lbs) |
| Physical dimensions | 122 x 89 x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") | 95 x 56 x 19mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.7") |
| DXO scores | ||
| DXO All around score | 71 | not tested |
| DXO Color Depth score | 22.8 | not tested |
| DXO Dynamic range score | 12.3 | not tested |
| DXO Low light score | 826 | not tested |
| Other | ||
| Battery life | 360 images | 260 images |
| Battery format | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
| Battery model | BLN-1 | - |
| Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes (2 or 10 sec) |
| Time lapse feature | ||
| Storage media | SD/SDHC/SDXC | SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal |
| Storage slots | Single | Single |
| Pricing at launch | $799 | $149 |