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Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic FH20

Portability
86
Imaging
47
Features
42
Overall
45
Olympus PEN E-P1 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH20 front
Portability
93
Imaging
37
Features
21
Overall
30

Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic FH20 Key Specs

Olympus E-P1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 355g - 121 x 70 x 36mm
  • Introduced July 2009
  • Later Model is Olympus E-P2
Panasonic FH20
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-224mm (F3.3-5.9) lens
  • 178g - 100 x 56 x 28mm
  • Revealed January 2010
  • Alternative Name is Lumix DMC-FS30
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Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic FH20 Overview

Let's look closer at the Olympus E-P1 versus Panasonic FH20, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by companies Olympus and Panasonic. The image resolution of the E-P1 (12MP) and the FH20 (14MP) is relatively comparable but the E-P1 (Four Thirds) and FH20 (1/2.3") offer totally different sensor dimensions.

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The E-P1 was brought out 5 months prior to the FH20 and they are of a similar age. Both cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-P1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic FH20 being a Compact camera.

Before going straight to a in-depth comparison, here is a concise overview of how the E-P1 scores versus the FH20 for portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-P1 over the Panasonic FH20

 E-P1 FH20 
Manually focus Dial precise focusing
Screen size3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")

Reasons to pick Panasonic FH20 over the Olympus E-P1

 FH20 E-P1 

Common features in the Olympus E-P1 and Panasonic FH20

 E-P1 FH20 
RevealedJuly 2009January 2010Same age
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen resolution230k230kThe same screen resolution
Selfie screen No selfie screen
Touch friendly screen No Touch friendly screen

Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic FH20 Physical Comparison

For those who are intending to carry around your camera often, you need to consider its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-P1 provides outside dimensions of 121mm x 70mm x 36mm (4.8" x 2.8" x 1.4") along with a weight of 355 grams (0.78 lbs) while the Panasonic FH20 has proportions of 100mm x 56mm x 28mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 1.1") along with a weight of 178 grams (0.39 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-P1 versus Panasonic FH20 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you have at that moment. Here is a front view sizing comparison of the E-P1 compared to the FH20.

Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic FH20 size comparison

Considering size and weight, the portability grade of the E-P1 and FH20 is 86 and 93 respectively.

Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic FH20 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic FH20 Sensor Comparison

Generally, its tough to see the difference in sensor sizes just by going through specs. The pic underneath will give you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the E-P1 and FH20.

As you can plainly see, both of the cameras come with different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The E-P1 featuring a bigger sensor will make shooting shallower DOF easier and the Panasonic FH20 will show greater detail having its extra 2MP. Higher resolution will enable you to crop shots a good deal more aggressively.

Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic FH20 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic FH20 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic FH20 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-P1 as a Portrait photography camera
Panasonic FH20 as a Portrait photography camera
60
you can focus manually
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
features face detection focus
saves RAW formats
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
28
megapixel count decent (14MP)
manual focus not available
manual exposure not available
cannot use external flash
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-P1
Street photography with Panasonic FH20
74
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
fixed screen
56
built in image stabilization (Optical)
no articulating screen
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
Photography Glossary

Sports Comparison

Olympus E-P1 as a Sports photography camera
Panasonic FH20 as a Sports photography camera
40
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
slow frames per second (3.0 frames/s)
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
low battery (300 shots)
does not have phase detect auto focus
35
built in image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count decent (14MP)
painfully slow continuous shooting (5.0 frames per second)
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-P1 Travel photography details
Panasonic FH20 Travel photography details
43
missing Timelapse function
low battery (300 shots)
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
64
megapixel count decent (14MP)
has built in flash
rather wide (28mm)
no Time Lapse recording
screen isn't selfie friendly
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-P1 as a Landscape photography camera
Panasonic FH20 as a Landscape photography camera
60
you can focus manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a decent size (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
low battery (300 CIPA)
missing Timelapse function
37
rather wide (28mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count decent (14MP)
manual focus not available
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
small screen (2.7 inch)
manual exposure not available
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
no Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-P1 Vlogging details
Panasonic FH20 Vlogging details
29
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
features face detection focus
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
low res video (1280 x 720 pxls)
missing external microphone jack
28
rather wide (28mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
screen isn't selfie friendly
low quality video (1280 x 720 resolution)
no external mic support
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Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic FH20 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-P1 and Panasonic FH20
 Olympus PEN E-P1Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH20
General Information
Make Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus PEN E-P1 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH20
Also referred to as - Lumix DMC-FS30
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Introduced 2009-07-29 2010-01-06
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic V -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 14 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4032 x 3024 4320 x 3240
Maximum native ISO 6400 6400
Min native ISO 100 80
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points 11 9
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 28-224mm (8.0x)
Max aperture - f/3.3-5.9
Macro focus distance - 5cm
Number of lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.9
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen size 3" 2.7"
Screen resolution 230 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Screen technology HyperCrystal LCD with AR(Anti-Reflective) coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 secs 60 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/1600 secs
Continuous shooting rate 3.0 frames/s 5.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range no built-in flash 5.80 m (Auto ISO)
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/180 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (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 1280x720 1280x720
Video format Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None 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 355 grams (0.78 lbs) 178 grams (0.39 lbs)
Physical dimensions 121 x 70 x 36mm (4.8" x 2.8" x 1.4") 100 x 56 x 28mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 1.1")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 55 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 21.4 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 10.4 not tested
DXO Low light score 536 not tested
Other
Battery life 300 photographs -
Battery style Battery Pack -
Battery model BLS-1 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage type SD/SDHC card SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots One One
Cost at launch $182 $179