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Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic FP3

Portability
81
Imaging
52
Features
70
Overall
59
Olympus OM-D E-M5 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP3 front
Portability
95
Imaging
36
Features
25
Overall
31

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic FP3 Key Specs

Olympus E-M5
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • 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
  • New Model is Olympus E-M5 II
Panasonic FP3
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 35-140mm (F3.5-5.9) lens
  • 155g - 99 x 59 x 19mm
  • Launched January 2010
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Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic FP3 Overview

Lets look more closely at the Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic FP3, one being a Advanced Mirrorless and the latter is a Ultracompact by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. The image resolution of the E-M5 (16MP) and the FP3 (14MP) is pretty similar but the E-M5 (Four Thirds) and FP3 (1/2.3") enjoy different sensor dimensions.

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The E-M5 was unveiled 2 years later than the FP3 and that is quite a significant gap as far as technology is concerned. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-M5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic FP3 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before going straight into a comprehensive comparison, below is a simple overview of how the E-M5 grades against the FP3 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 over the Panasonic FP3

 E-M5 FP3 
LaunchedApril 2012January 2010Fresher by 29 months
Focus manually More precise focus
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution610k230kCrisper screen (+380k dot)

Reasons to pick Panasonic FP3 over the Olympus E-M5

 FP3 E-M5 

Common features in the Olympus E-M5 and Panasonic FP3

 E-M5 FP3 
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen sizing
Selfie screen Neither offers selfie screen
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic FP3 Physical Comparison

If you are aiming to carry your camera often, you will have to think about its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-M5 offers external dimensions of 122mm x 89mm x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") and a weight of 425 grams (0.94 lbs) while the Panasonic FP3 has dimensions of 99mm x 59mm x 19mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.7") having a weight of 155 grams (0.34 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic FP3 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you are utilizing at that time. Here is the front view proportions comparison of the E-M5 compared to the FP3.

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic FP3 size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-M5 and FP3 is 81 and 95 respectively.

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic FP3 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic FP3 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, its hard to visualize the contrast between sensor sizing merely by going over technical specs. The graphic below will provide you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-M5 and FP3.

As you can tell, both of these cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-M5 having a bigger sensor is going to make achieving bokeh less difficult and the Olympus E-M5 will deliver greater detail having an extra 2MP. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop photographs somewhat more aggressively. The more modern E-M5 provides a benefit in sensor technology.

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic FP3 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic FP3 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic FP3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Portrait photography advice
Panasonic FP3 Portrait photography advice
71
focusing manually
good megapixels (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with face detection focus
exports RAW formats
28
MP count good (14 megapixels)
manual focus not available
manual mode not possible
no external flash support
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Street photography information
Panasonic FP3 Street photography information
82
screen tilts up and down
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
boasts touch to focus
weather proofing
good ISO range (25,600)
60
image stabilization (Optical)
has focus by touch
screen is fixed
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
heavier than others in class (155 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Sports photography advice
Panasonic FP3 Sports photography advice
67
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with tracking autofocus
weather proofing
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
34
image stabilization (Optical)
MP count good (14 megapixels)
low fps (5.0 fps)
no shutter priority mode
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Travel photography highlights
Panasonic FP3 Travel photography highlights
66
weather proofing
boasts touch to focus
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
no Time Lapse recording
display is not selfie friendly
60
has focus by touch
MP count good (14 megapixels)
built-in flash
lack of Time Lapse mode
heavier than others in class (155 grams)
doesn't have selfie friendly display
wide angle not good (35mm)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M5 as a Landscape photography camera
Panasonic FP3 as a Landscape photography camera
73
focusing manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice screen size (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good megapixels (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
good ISO range (25,600)
exports RAW formats
weather proofing
no Time Lapse recording
37
screen size is good (3 inch)
image stabilization (Optical)
MP count good (14MP)
manual focus not available
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not good (35mm)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
manual mode not possible
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
lack of Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-M5
Vlogging with Panasonic FP3
34
touchscreen enabled
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
comes with face detection focus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
display is not selfie friendly
no external mic jack
27
screen is touchscreen
image stabilization (Optical)
wide angle not good (35mm)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
doesn't have selfie friendly display
video resolution low (1280 x 720 pixels)
lack of external mic jack
heavier than others in class (155g)
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Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic FP3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M5 and Panasonic FP3
 Olympus OM-D E-M5Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP3
General Information
Brand Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus OM-D E-M5 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP3
Type Advanced Mirrorless Ultracompact
Released 2012-04-30 2010-01-06
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic VI Venus Engine IV
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 14MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4608 x 3456 4320 x 3240
Maximum native ISO 25600 6400
Min native ISO 200 80
RAW support
Min boosted ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
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 35 9
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 35-140mm (4.0x)
Maximum aperture - f/3.5-5.9
Macro focus range - 10cm
Amount of lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.9
Screen
Range of display Tilting Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3 inch 3 inch
Display resolution 610k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Display technology Touch control in electrostatic capacitance type OLED monitor -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 1,440k dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.58x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 secs 60 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/1600 secs
Continuous shooting speed 9.0 frames/s 5.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range no built-in flash 4.90 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync (2), Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest 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), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video format H.264, Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Mic 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
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 425g (0.94 lb) 155g (0.34 lb)
Dimensions 122 x 89 x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") 99 x 59 x 19mm (3.9" x 2.3" 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 photographs -
Form of battery Battery Pack -
Battery model BLN-1 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots 1 1
Retail cost $799 $182