Olympus E-1 vs Panasonic ZS35

Its time to look closer at the Olympus E-1 and Panasonic ZS35, one is a Pro DSLR and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by companies Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a sizeable gap between the sensor resolutions of the E-1 (5MP) and ZS35 (16MP) and the E-1 (Four Thirds) and ZS35 (1/2.3") provide totally different sensor measurements.

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The E-1 was manufactured 11 years before the ZS35 which is quite a large gap as far as technology is concerned. The two cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-1 being a Large SLR camera and the Panasonic ZS35 being a Compact camera.

Before diving straight to a more detailed comparison, here is a simple overview of how the E-1 scores vs the ZS35 for portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

The following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus E-1 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS35. The entire galleries are available at Olympus E-1 Gallery and Panasonic ZS35 Gallery.

If you're going to carry around your camera frequently, you are going to need to factor in its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-1 features physical dimensions of 141mm x 104mm x 81mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.2") along with a weight of 735 grams (1.62 lbs) and the Panasonic ZS35 has proportions of 107mm x 62mm x 32mm (4.2" x 2.4" x 1.3") accompanied by a weight of 305 grams (0.67 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-1 and Panasonic ZS35 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you choose at that moment. Here is a front view overall size comparison of the E-1 and the ZS35.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-1 and ZS35 is 59 and 89 respectively.

Normally, it is very tough to visualise the gap between sensor sizes just by reading technical specs. The picture underneath might offer you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the E-1 and ZS35.

As you can tell, both cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The E-1 featuring a bigger sensor will make shooting shallower DOF simpler and the Panasonic ZS35 will offer you extra detail due to its extra 11 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop photographs more aggressively. The more aged E-1 is going to be behind in sensor innovation.