Olympus E-3 vs Olympus SZ-10

Here is a comprehensive assessment of the Olympus E-3 versus Olympus SZ-10, one being a Advanced DSLR and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom and both of them are produced by Olympus. There exists a sizeable gap between the sensor resolutions of the E-3 (10MP) and SZ-10 (14MP) and the E-3 (Four Thirds) and SZ-10 (1/2.3") have different sensor dimensions.

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

The E-3 was launched 4 years before the SZ-10 and that is quite a large gap as far as technology is concerned. The two cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-3 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Olympus SZ-10 being a Compact camera.

Before getting into a detailed comparison, here is a quick summary of how the E-3 grades against the SZ-10 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Here is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus E-3 and Olympus SZ-10. The complete galleries are provided at Olympus E-3 Gallery and Olympus SZ-10 Gallery.

For anyone who is intending to carry your camera often, you will need to think about its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-3 features outside dimensions of 142mm x 116mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") and a weight of 890 grams (1.96 lbs) whilst the Olympus SZ-10 has dimensions of 106mm x 67mm x 38mm (4.2" x 2.6" x 1.5") accompanied by a weight of 215 grams (0.47 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-3 versus Olympus SZ-10 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you have chosen at the time. The following is a front view over all size comparison of the E-3 compared to the SZ-10.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-3 and SZ-10 is 56 and 90 respectively.

Normally, it's difficult to imagine the gap between sensor sizing merely by reading through technical specs. The photograph underneath might offer you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-3 and SZ-10.

As you have seen, both of these cameras have different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-3 featuring a bigger sensor is going to make getting shallower depth of field simpler and the Olympus SZ-10 will resolve extra detail utilizing its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop shots a bit more aggressively. The older E-3 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor technology.