Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic FP1
86 Imaging
47 Features
43 Overall
45


95 Imaging
35 Features
13 Overall
26
Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic FP1 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
- 2.7" Fixed Display
- ISO 100 - 3200
- Sensor based Image Stabilization
- 1280 x 720 video
- Micro Four Thirds Mount
- 334g - 115 x 72 x 42mm
- Revealed May 2010
- Refreshed by Olympus E-PL1s
(Full Review)
- 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 2.7" Fixed Screen
- ISO 80 - 6400
- Optical Image Stabilization
- 1280 x 720 video
- 35-140mm (F3.5-5.9) lens
- 151g - 99 x 59 x 19mm
- Introduced January 2010

Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic FP1 Overview
Its time to look a bit more in depth at the Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic FP1, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Ultracompact by companies Olympus and Panasonic. The resolution of the E-PL1 (12MP) and the FP1 (12MP) is relatively comparable but the E-PL1 (Four Thirds) and FP1 (1/2.3") feature different sensor sizes.

The E-PL1 was revealed 5 months later than the FP1 which means that they are both of a similar age. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic FP1 being a Ultracompact camera.
Before diving through a full comparison, below is a concise synopsis of how the E-PL1 scores vs the FP1 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic FP1 Gallery
Following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus PEN E-PL1 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP1. The full galleries are provided at Olympus E-PL1 Gallery & Panasonic FP1 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL1 over the Panasonic FP1
E-PL1 | FP1 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Focus manually | ![]() | Very accurate focus |
Reasons to pick Panasonic FP1 over the Olympus E-PL1
FP1 | E-PL1 |
---|
Common features in the Olympus E-PL1 and Panasonic FP1
E-PL1 | FP1 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Introduced | May 2010 | ![]() | January 2010 | Same age |
Screen type | Fixed | ![]() | Fixed | Fixed screen |
Screen dimension | 2.7" | ![]() | 2.7" | Identical screen dimensions |
Screen resolution | 230k | ![]() | 230k | Identical screen resolution |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Absent selfie screen | ||
Touch friendly screen | ![]() | Neither includes Touch friendly screen |
Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic FP1 Physical Comparison
If you are aiming to carry your camera often, you're going to have to factor its weight and volume. The Olympus E-PL1 features external dimensions of 115mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") accompanied by a weight of 334 grams (0.74 lbs) whilst the Panasonic FP1 has sizing of 99mm x 59mm x 19mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.7") with a weight of 151 grams (0.33 lbs).
Take a look at the Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic FP1 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you are using at that moment. The following is the front view dimension comparison of the E-PL1 compared to the FP1.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-PL1 and FP1 is 86 and 95 respectively.

Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic FP1 Sensor Comparison
Normally, it is difficult to visualize the gap in sensor sizing just by going through specs. The visual below might provide you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PL1 and FP1.
As you can plainly see, the two cameras posses the exact same megapixels albeit different sensor sizing. The E-PL1 contains the bigger sensor which should make obtaining shallower depth of field easier.

Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic FP1 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic FP1 Specifications
Olympus PEN E-PL1 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP1 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Brand Name | Olympus | Panasonic |
Model type | Olympus PEN E-PL1 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP1 |
Class | Entry-Level Mirrorless | Ultracompact |
Revealed | 2010-05-17 | 2010-01-06 |
Physical type | Rangefinder-style mirrorless | Ultracompact |
Sensor Information | ||
Chip | Truepic V | Venus Engine IV |
Sensor type | CMOS | CCD |
Sensor size | Four Thirds | 1/2.3" |
Sensor measurements | 17.3 x 13mm | 6.08 x 4.56mm |
Sensor surface area | 224.9mm² | 27.7mm² |
Sensor resolution | 12 megapixel | 12 megapixel |
Anti alias filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 | 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 |
Max resolution | 4032 x 3024 | 4000 x 3000 |
Max native ISO | 3200 | 6400 |
Minimum native ISO | 100 | 80 |
RAW pictures | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Manual focusing | ||
AF touch | ||
AF continuous | ||
AF single | ||
AF tracking | ||
AF selectice | ||
AF center weighted | ||
Multi area AF | ||
Live view AF | ||
Face detect focusing | ||
Contract detect focusing | ||
Phase detect focusing | ||
Total focus points | 11 | 9 |
Lens | ||
Lens support | Micro Four Thirds | fixed lens |
Lens zoom range | - | 35-140mm (4.0x) |
Highest aperture | - | f/3.5-5.9 |
Macro focusing range | - | 10cm |
Amount of lenses | 107 | - |
Focal length multiplier | 2.1 | 5.9 |
Screen | ||
Type of display | Fixed Type | Fixed Type |
Display size | 2.7" | 2.7" |
Resolution of display | 230 thousand dots | 230 thousand dots |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch display | ||
Display tech | HyperCrystal LCD AR (Anti-Reflective) coating | - |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder | Electronic (optional) | None |
Features | ||
Min shutter speed | 60s | 60s |
Max shutter speed | 1/2000s | 1/1600s |
Continuous shutter rate | 3.0 frames per sec | 6.0 frames per sec |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manually set exposure | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | - |
Custom WB | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Inbuilt flash | ||
Flash distance | 10.00 m | 4.90 m (Auto ISO) |
Flash modes | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) | Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro |
Hot shoe | ||
AEB | ||
WB bracketing | ||
Max flash synchronize | 1/160s | - |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment | ||
Average | ||
Spot | ||
Partial | ||
AF area | ||
Center weighted | ||
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 (30fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) |
Max video resolution | 1280x720 | 1280x720 |
Video file format | Motion JPEG | Motion JPEG |
Microphone 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 | ||
Environmental sealing | ||
Water proofing | ||
Dust proofing | ||
Shock proofing | ||
Crush proofing | ||
Freeze proofing | ||
Weight | 334 grams (0.74 lbs) | 151 grams (0.33 lbs) |
Dimensions | 115 x 72 x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") | 99 x 59 x 19mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.7") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO Overall rating | 54 | not tested |
DXO Color Depth rating | 21.5 | not tested |
DXO Dynamic range rating | 10.1 | not tested |
DXO Low light rating | 487 | not tested |
Other | ||
Battery life | 290 pictures | - |
Form of battery | Battery Pack | - |
Battery ID | 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 |
Price at release | $288 | $153 |