Olympus E-1 vs Panasonic ZS100

In this article, we will be matching up the Olympus E-1 and Panasonic ZS100, one being a Pro DSLR and the latter is a Large Sensor Compact by brands Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a crucial gap among the image resolutions of the E-1 (5MP) and ZS100 (20MP) and the E-1 (Four Thirds) and ZS100 (1") come with totally different sensor sizes.

Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

The E-1 was manufactured 13 years prior to the ZS100 and that is a fairly serious gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-1 being a Large SLR camera and the Panasonic ZS100 being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before getting straight into a thorough comparison, below is a simple highlight of how the E-1 grades vs the ZS100 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus E-1 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS100. The entire galleries are provided at Olympus E-1 Gallery and Panasonic ZS100 Gallery.

For anybody who is looking to lug around your camera, you will want to consider its weight and size. The Olympus E-1 enjoys external dimensions of 141mm x 104mm x 81mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.2") having a weight of 735 grams (1.62 lbs) while the Panasonic ZS100 has specifications of 111mm x 65mm x 44mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.7") having a weight of 312 grams (0.69 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-1 and Panasonic ZS100 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you are utilising at the time. Following is the front view measurements comparison of the E-1 versus the ZS100.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-1 and ZS100 is 59 and 87 respectively.

Typically, it's hard to envision the gap in sensor measurements just by looking through a spec sheet. The visual below should give you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-1 and ZS100.

As you can see, the two cameras enjoy different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-1 because of its bigger sensor will make achieving shallow DOF easier and the Panasonic ZS100 will render greater detail due to its extra 15 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also let you crop photographs far more aggressively. The older E-1 will be behind with regard to sensor technology.