Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic FP8

The following is a extended review of the Olympus E-M5 and Panasonic FP8, one is a Advanced Mirrorless and the latter is a Ultracompact by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a significant gap among the image resolutions of the E-M5 (16MP) and FP8 (12MP) and the E-M5 (Four Thirds) and FP8 (1/2.3") posses totally different sensor dimensions.

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The E-M5 was manufactured 2 years after the FP8 which is a fairly sizable gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-M5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic FP8 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before getting right into a step-by-step comparison, here is a simple introduction of how the E-M5 matches up against the FP8 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Here is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus OM-D E-M5 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP8. The entire galleries are provided at Olympus E-M5 Gallery and Panasonic FP8 Gallery.

For those who are intending to travel with your camera frequently, you will need to think about its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-M5 features exterior dimensions of 122mm x 89mm x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") and a weight of 425 grams (0.94 lbs) and the Panasonic FP8 has dimensions of 96mm x 60mm x 20mm (3.8" x 2.4" x 0.8") along with a weight of 151 grams (0.33 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-M5 and Panasonic FP8 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you are employing at that moment. The following is a front view measurement comparison of the E-M5 and the FP8.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-M5 and FP8 is 81 and 95 respectively.

More often than not, it's tough to visualise the difference in sensor dimensions purely by seeing specifications. The pic below might offer you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-M5 and FP8.

Plainly, each of the cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The E-M5 because of its bigger sensor will make getting bokeh less difficult and the Olympus E-M5 will provide greater detail due to its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will let you crop photographs a bit more aggressively. The newer E-M5 will have an advantage with regard to sensor technology.