Casio EX-FC100 vs Olympus E-PM2 Comparison

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Casio EX-FC100

9 MP | 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) CMOS Sensor

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Olympus E-PM2

16 MP | Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) CMOS Sensor

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Casio EX-FC100 vs Olympus E-PM2 Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two cameras with different body types: Casio EX-FC100, which was introduced in January 2009 is a Small Sensor Compact camera with a 9.0MP 1/2.3-inch sensor whereas Olympus E-PM2, which was introduced in May 2013 is a Entry-Level Mirrorless camera with a 16.0MP Four Thirds sensor. As you can see, EX-FC100 is 4 years older than E-PM2. Let's see if this age difference between two cameras makes a big difference.

Comparing an interchangeble lens camera to a fixed lens camera is a bit tricky but we will do our best to make this a fair comparison.

Here is a brief look at the main features of Casio EX-FC100 and Olympus E-PM2 before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Casio EX-FC100 Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2009-01-08

9MP - 1/2.3-inch CMOS Sensor

ISO 100 - 1600

Mount

Sensor-shift Image Stabilization

2.7" Fixed Type Screen

continuous shooting

HD - 1280 x 720 video resolution

156g. 100 x 59 x 23 mm

Olympus E-PM2 Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2013-05-21

16MP - Four Thirds CMOS Sensor

ISO 200 - 25600

Micro Four Thirds Mount

Sensor-shift Image Stabilization

3" Fixed Type Screen

8 fps continuous shooting

Full HD - 1920 x 1080 video resolution

269g. 110 x 64 x 34 mm

Replaced Olympus PEN E-PM1 Compare

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Casio EX-FC100 and Olympus E-PM2 compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Casio Exilim EX-FC100 over Olympus PEN E-PM2

Built-in Flash	Yes vs No	Useful in low-light
Weight	156 g vs 269 g	113 g lighter

Reasons to choose Olympus PEN E-PM2 over Casio Exilim EX-FC100

External Flash Shoe	Yes vs No	Better for flash photography
Touch Screen	Yes vs No	Easy control of camera functions
RAW Support	Yes vs No	Better image quality
Face Detection Focus	Yes vs No	very handy for portraits
Max Sensor Resolution	16 MP vs 9 MP	77% more pixels
Max ISO	25.600 vs 1.600	1500% higher Max ISO
LCD Screen Size	3" vs 2.7"	0.3 inches larger display
LCD Screen Resolution	460k dots vs 230k dots	99% higher resolution screen
Max Mech. Shutter	1/4000s vs 1/1000s	faster mechanical shutter
Sensor Pixel Area	14.12µm² vs 3.13µm²	351% larger pixel area
Max Video Resolution	1920 x 1080 vs 1280 x 720	Higher Resolution Video
AE Bracketing	Yes vs No	Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR

Common Strengths of Casio Exilim EX-FC100 and Olympus PEN E-PM2

Image Stabilization	Sensor-shift vs Sensor-shift	Sharper images at longer focal lengths and long exposures
Continuous Shooting	fps vs 8.0fps	Fast shooting speeds

Common Weaknesses of Casio Exilim EX-FC100 and Olympus PEN E-PM2

Fixed Screen	Fixed Type vs No	No flexible viewing angles
LCD Screen Resolution	230k dots vs 460k dots	Low resolution screens
Environmental Sealing	No vs No	not suitable for tough conditions

Casio EX-FC100 vs Olympus E-PM2: Physical Specs and Body features Comparison

Size and weight is a big decision factor when you are trying to find the ideal camera for your needs. In this section, We are going to illustrate Casio EX-FC100 and Olympus E-PM2 side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Casio EX-FC100 has external dimensions of 100 x 59 x 23 mm (3.94 x 2.32 x 0.91″) and weighs 156 g (0.34 lb / 5.50 oz) (including batteries). Olympus E-PM2 has external dimensions of 110 x 64 x 34 mm (4.33 x 2.52 x 1.34″) and weighs 269 g (0.59 lb / 9.49 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Casio EX-FC100 and Olympus E-PM2. Casio EX-FC100 is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 10mm narrower, 5mm shorter and 11mm thinner than Olympus E-PM2. As you can tell, actually this is not a fair size comparison since Casio EX-FC100 has a built-in lens but Olympus E-PM2 doesn't. Once you put a lens on E-PM2, its thickness will increase significantly.

Comparison image of Casio EX-FC100 and Olympus E-PM2 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Casio EX-FC100 is significantly lighter (113g ) than the Olympus E-PM2 which may become a big advantage especially on long walking trips.

Again, this comparison may not be very useful in real life as we are comparing the weight of a camera with a built-in lens to the body-only weight of an interchangeable lens camera. Once you put a lens on E-PM2, the total kit will weigh much higher.

Weather Sealing

Unfortunately neither Casio Exilim EX-FC100 nor Olympus PEN E-PM2 provides any type of weather sealing in their body, so you have to give extra care especially when you are shooting outdoors. If weather sealing is a must-have feature for you, check these sections:
Top Compact Cameras with Weather Sealing
Top Mirrorless Cameras with Weather Sealing

LCD Screen Size and Features

Olympus E-PM2's 3" LCD screen is slightly larger than Casio EX-FC100's 2.7" screen.

Unfortunately, both cameras has fixed screens so they don't tilt or flip in directions.

Casio EX-FC100 vs Olympus E-PM2: Sensor Comparison

Casio EX-FC100 has a 9.0MP 1/2.3-inch (6.17 x 4.55 mm ) sized CMOS sensor . On the other hand, Olympus E-PM2 has a 16.0MP Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm ) sized CMOS sensor .

Olympus E-PM2's sensor provides 7MP more than Casio EX-FC100's sensor, which gives a significant advantage in real life. You can print your images larger or crop more freely. On the other hand, please keep in mind that Max sensor resolution is not the only determinant of resolving power. Factors such as the optical elements, low pass filter, pixel size and sensor technology also affects the final resolution of the captured image.

Below you can see the EX-FC100 and E-PM2 sensor size comparison.

Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Casio EX-FC100 and Olympus E-PM2 Cameras

As seen above, Olympus E-PM2 has a 8.0x Larger sensor area than Casio EX-FC100. Larger sensors give photographer more control on the depth of field and blurry background compared to smaller sensor when shot in same focal length and aperture.

What types of Photography are Casio EX-FC100 and Olympus E-PM2 Good for?

In this section, we rank and compare Casio EX-FC100 and Olympus E-PM2 for five different photography types in order to make your decision process easier in case you are specifically interested in one or more of these areas.

Casio EX-FC100 for Portrait Photography

POOR

Olympus E-PM2 for Portrait Photography

GOOD

Image Stabilization
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
Very Low Resolution Sensor: 9.0MP
No RAW shooting capability
No External Flash Shoe
No Built-in Viewfinder
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details

Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
Optional External Viewfinder
Average Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details

Casio EX-FC100 for Street Photography

GOOD

Olympus E-PM2 for Street Photography

EXCELLENT

Image Stabilization
Small Body
Live-view
mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No Built-in Viewfinder
Slow Lens at Wide: f3.60
Read the details

Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Optional External Viewfinder
Medium sized Body
Read the details

Casio EX-FC100 for Sports Photography

POOR

Olympus E-PM2 for Sports Photography

GOOD

Image Stabilization
No RAW shooting capability
No External Flash Shoe
No Built-in Viewfinder
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Environmental Sealings
Slow Max shutter speed: 1/1000s
Focus Points
mm Tele Lens
Read the details

Image Stabilization
Fast Continuous Shooting: 8.0fps
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
35 Focus Points
Optional External Viewfinder
Average Ergonomics&Handling
Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Casio EX-FC100 for Daily Photography

AVERAGE

Olympus E-PM2 for Daily Photography

GOOD

Compact Body
156g
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
X Optical Zoom
Read the details

Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
269g
Medium size Body
Read the details

Casio EX-FC100 for Landscape Photography

POOR

Olympus E-PM2 for Landscape Photography

POOR

mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
Very Low Resolution Sensor: 9.0MP
No RAW shooting capability
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Live-view
Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Casio EX-FC100 vs Olympus E-PM2: OUR DECISION

You may have already made your decision about which camera suits better for your needs and your budget so far but in case you wonder how we rated Casio EX-FC100 and Olympus E-PM2, below you can find their scores in five different aspects. Our Decision Algorithm dynamically scores cameras using 63 different specs, current price and DxO Mark scores (where possible) in order to make a more objective and consistent comparison.

Here is a summary of how Casio EX-FC100 and Olympus E-PM2 scores compare:

Casio EX-FC100

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #202 out of 475 in Compact cameras
Ranked #775 out of 1223 in all Cameras

Olympus E-PM2

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #48 out of 127 in Rangefinder-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #259 out of 1223 in all Cameras

Olympus E-PM2 is the overall winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Casio EX-FC100 in all criteria except one: Portability.
If small size and light body is a big priority for you, choose Casio EX-FC100. Otherwise, Olympus E-PM2 is the better camera overall.

Olympus E-PM2 vs Casio EX-FC100 Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

General	Casio Exilim EX-FC100	Olympus PEN E-PM2
Brand	Casio	Olympus
Announced	2009-01-08	2013-05-21
Body Type	Compact	Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor
Type	CMOS	CMOS
Size	1/2.3-inch	Four Thirds
Dimensions	6.17 x 4.55 mm	17.3 x 13 mm
Area	28.07mm²	224.90mm²
Megapixels	9 megapixels	16 megapixels
Max Resolution	3456 x 2592	4608 x 3456
Max Native Light sensitivity	1,600 ISO	25,600 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity	100 ISO	200 ISO
RAW Support
Autofocus
AF Touch
AF Continuous
AF Single
AF Tracking
AF Selective
AF Center
AF Multi Area
AF Live View
AF Face Detection
AF Contrast Detection
AF Phase Detection
Number of Focus Points	n/a	35
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount	fixed lens	Micro Four Thirds
Max Aperture	F3.6-8.5	no lens
Screen
Type	Fixed type	Fixed type
Size	2.7"	3"
Resolution	230k dots	460k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder	None	Electronic (optional)
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter	1/1000s	1/4000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization	Sensor-shift	Sensor-shift
Built-in Flash
Flash Range	n/a	7.00 m (bundled FL-LM1)
Max Flash Sync	s	1/250s
External Flash
Continuous Shooting	n/a	8.0 fps
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution	1280 x 720	1920 x 1080
Video Formats	Motion JPEG	MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity	Eye-Fi Connected	Eye-Fi Connected
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight	156g	269g
Dimensions	100 x 59 x 23mm	110 x 64 x 34mm
Battery Life	n/a	360 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS	None	None
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score	not tested	72
DxO Color Depth	not tested	22.7
DxO Dynamic Range	not tested	12.2
DxO Low Light ISO	not tested	932
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