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Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic FH5

Portability
86
Imaging
48
Features
60
Overall
52
Olympus PEN E-P3 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH5 front
Portability
96
Imaging
39
Features
31
Overall
35

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic FH5 Key Specs

Olympus E-P3
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 12800
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 369g - 122 x 69 x 34mm
  • Launched August 2011
  • Succeeded the Olympus E-P2
  • Successor is Olympus E-P5
Panasonic FH5
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-112mm (F3.1-6.5) lens
  • 121g - 94 x 54 x 19mm
  • Launched January 2011
  • Other Name is Lumix DMC-FS18
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Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic FH5 Overview

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.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-P3 over the Panasonic FH5

 E-P3 FH5 
LaunchedAugust 2011January 2011More recent by 8 months
Manually focus Very accurate focus
Display dimension3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution614k230kCrisper display (+384k dot)
Touch display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic FH5 over the Olympus E-P3

 FH5 E-P3 

Common features in the Olympus E-P3 and Panasonic FH5

 E-P3 FH5 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Lacking selfie screen

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic FH5 Physical Comparison

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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic FH5 size comparison

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

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic FH5 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic FH5 Sensor Comparison

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.

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic FH5 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic FH5 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic FH5 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-P3 as a Portrait photography camera
Panasonic FH5 as a Portrait photography camera
60
has manual focus
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
features face detect focus
supports RAW files
MP count low (12MP)
34
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
comes with face detect focusing
lack of manual focus
manual exposure not possible
cannot use external flash
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Street photography features
Panasonic FH5 Street photography features
76
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
boasts focus via touch
no articulating screen
67
built in image stabilization (Optical)
boasts focus by touch
lighter than competition (121 grams)
no articulating screen
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Sports photography features
Panasonic FH5 Sports photography features
49
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
features tracking focus
max frames per second very slow (3.0 frames per second)
MP count low (12MP)
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
40
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
comes with tracking focus
very slow continuous shooting (4.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority mode
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-P3
Travel photography with Panasonic FH5
60
boasts focus via touch
has built in flash
doesn't have Timelapse recording
MP count low (12MP)
does not posses selfie friendly display
71
lighter than competition (121g)
boasts focus by touch
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
flash built-in
really wide (28mm)
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
does not have selfie friendly screen
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-P3 as a Landscape photography camera
Panasonic FH5 as a Landscape photography camera
65
has manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
MP count low (12 megapixels)
doesn't have Timelapse recording
38
really wide (28mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
lack of manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
screen is somewhat small (2.7 inches)
manual exposure not possible
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Vlogging features
Panasonic FH5 Vlogging features
35
touch screen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
features face detect focus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
does not posses selfie friendly display
doesn't have microphone support
33
really wide (28mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
comes with face detect focusing
lighter than competition (121 grams)
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
does not have selfie friendly screen
video res low (1280 x 720 pxls)
doesn't have mic port
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Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic FH5 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-P3 and Panasonic FH5
 Olympus PEN E-P3Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH5
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus PEN E-P3 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH5
Also called - Lumix DMC-FS18
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Launched 2011-08-17 2011-01-05
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor 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 12 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4032 x 3024 4608 x 3456
Highest native ISO 12800 6400
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW images
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Number of focus points 35 11
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 28-112mm (4.0x)
Maximal aperture - f/3.1-6.5
Macro focus distance - 5cm
Total lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.9
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3 inch 2.7 inch
Resolution of screen 614 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Screen technology 3:2 OLED with Anti-Fingerprint Coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) None
Features
Min shutter speed 60s 60s
Max shutter speed 1/4000s 1/1600s
Continuous shutter speed 3.0fps 4.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 10.00 m (@ ISO 200) 3.30 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Wireless, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Max flash sync 1/180s -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video format AVCHD, Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Mic jack
Headphone jack
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 seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 369 grams (0.81 lbs) 121 grams (0.27 lbs)
Dimensions 122 x 69 x 34mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.3") 94 x 54 x 19mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.7")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 51 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 20.8 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 10.1 not tested
DXO Low light score 536 not tested
Other
Battery life 330 photos 260 photos
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLS-5 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC card SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots 1 1
Launch pricing $0 $169