Olympus E-3 vs Panasonic ZS100

Below is a in depth assessment of the Olympus E-3 versus Panasonic ZS100, one being a Advanced DSLR and the latter is a Large Sensor Compact by companies Olympus and Panasonic. There is a significant difference among the sensor resolutions of the E-3 (10MP) and ZS100 (20MP) and the E-3 (Four Thirds) and ZS100 (1") come with totally different sensor size.

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The E-3 was revealed 8 years prior to the ZS100 and that is a fairly sizable gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-3 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic ZS100 being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before getting straight into a more detailed comparison, below is a concise synopsis of how the E-3 matches up vs the ZS100 for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus E-3 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS100. The full galleries are provided at Olympus E-3 Gallery and Panasonic ZS100 Gallery.

For anyone who is intending to lug around your camera often, you are going to need to take into account its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-3 enjoys outer measurements of 142mm x 116mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") having a weight of 890 grams (1.96 lbs) and the Panasonic ZS100 has measurements of 111mm x 65mm x 44mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.7") along with a weight of 312 grams (0.69 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-3 versus Panasonic ZS100 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you use at the time. Below is the front view dimension comparison of the E-3 versus the ZS100.

Looking at size and weight, the portability grade of the E-3 and ZS100 is 56 and 87 respectively.

Oftentimes, it's difficult to visualise the gap in sensor measurements only by checking out specs. The visual underneath might provide you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-3 and ZS100.

All in all, the 2 cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-3 with its bigger sensor will make getting bokeh less difficult and the Panasonic ZS100 will show more detail because of its extra 10 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop shots much more aggressively. The older E-3 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.