Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic FH5

Below, we are comparing the Olympus E-P1 versus Panasonic FH5, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Compact by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a huge gap between the resolutions of the E-P1 (12MP) and FH5 (16MP) and the E-P1 (Four Thirds) and FH5 (1/2.3") come with different sensor measurements.

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The E-P1 was announced 17 months before the FH5 making the cameras a generation apart from one another. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-P1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic FH5 being a Compact camera.

Before we go straight into a in depth comparison, below is a concise highlight of how the E-P1 scores against the FH5 for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN E-P1 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH5. The whole galleries are provided at Olympus E-P1 Gallery and Panasonic FH5 Gallery.

For those who are planning to lug around your camera often, you need to consider its weight and size. The Olympus E-P1 enjoys outer dimensions of 121mm x 70mm x 36mm (4.8" x 2.8" x 1.4") and a weight of 355 grams (0.78 lbs) and the Panasonic FH5 has specifications of 94mm x 54mm x 19mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.7") having a weight of 121 grams (0.27 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-P1 versus Panasonic FH5 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you have attached at the time. Here is the front view physical size comparison of the E-P1 compared to the FH5.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-P1 and FH5 is 86 and 96 respectively.

More often than not, it's difficult to visualize the contrast between sensor measurements only by checking specs. The photograph underneath should offer you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the E-P1 and FH5.

As you can plainly see, both of these cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-P1 using its larger sensor is going to make shooting shallower depth of field simpler and the Panasonic FH5 will give greater detail with its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will enable you to crop pics somewhat more aggressively. The older E-P1 is going to be behind in sensor technology.