Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic FH5

Let's look a little more closely at the Olympus E-P3 and Panasonic FH5, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Compact by companies Olympus and Panasonic. There is a sizeable difference between the image resolutions of the E-P3 (12MP) and FH5 (16MP) and the E-P3 (Four Thirds) and FH5 (1/2.3") feature different sensor sizes.

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The E-P3 was revealed 8 months later than the FH5 and they are both of a similar generation. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-P3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic FH5 being a Compact camera.

Before delving through a in-depth comparison, below is a short summary of how the E-P3 grades vs the FH5 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus PEN E-P3 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH5. The full galleries are viewable at Olympus E-P3 Gallery and Panasonic FH5 Gallery.

When you are aiming to lug around your camera frequently, you'll need to factor in its weight and size. The Olympus E-P3 has got exterior measurements of 122mm x 69mm x 34mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.3") having a weight of 369 grams (0.81 lbs) whilst the Panasonic FH5 has specifications of 94mm x 54mm x 19mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.7") accompanied by a weight of 121 grams (0.27 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-P3 and Panasonic FH5 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you have chosen at that moment. Underneath is the front view scale comparison of the E-P3 against the FH5.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability score of the E-P3 and FH5 is 86 and 96 respectively.

Generally, it can be difficult to picture the gap between sensor measurements only by looking at technical specs. The graphic underneath may provide you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-P3 and FH5.

As you can tell, each of the cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-P3 having a larger sensor is going to make shooting shallower DOF less difficult and the Panasonic FH5 will resolve greater detail because of its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop photos much more aggressively. The more recent E-P3 should have a benefit in sensor technology.