Clicky

Olympus E-3 vs Panasonic ZS100

Portability
56
Imaging
44
Features
56
Overall
48
Olympus E-3 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS100 front
Portability
87
Imaging
52
Features
65
Overall
57

Olympus E-3 vs Panasonic ZS100 Key Specs

Olympus E-3
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.5" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 890g - 142 x 116 x 75mm
  • Released February 2008
  • Superseded the Olympus E-1
  • Updated by Olympus E-5
Panasonic ZS100
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 125 - 12800 (Increase to 25600)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • 25-250mm (F2.8-5.9) lens
  • 312g - 111 x 65 x 44mm
  • Released January 2016
  • Alternate Name is Lumix DMC-TZ100
  • Later Model is Panasonic ZS200
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Olympus E-3 vs Panasonic ZS100 Overview

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.

President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

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.

Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus E-3 over the Panasonic ZS100

 E-3 ZS100 
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS100 over the Olympus E-3

 ZS100 E-3 
ReleasedJanuary 2016February 2008More recent by 95 months
Screen dimension3"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.5")
Screen resolution1040k230kSharper screen (+810k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-3 and Panasonic ZS100

 E-3 ZS100 
Focus manually Very precise focus

Olympus E-3 vs Panasonic ZS100 Physical Comparison

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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Olympus E-3 vs Panasonic ZS100 size comparison

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

Olympus E-3 vs Panasonic ZS100 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-3 vs Panasonic ZS100 Sensor Comparison

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.

Olympus E-3 vs Panasonic ZS100 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-3 vs Panasonic ZS100 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-3 vs Panasonic ZS100 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-3 Portrait photography highlights
Panasonic ZS100 Portrait photography highlights
56
you can focus manually
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
MP count low (10MP)
64
manual focus
good MP (20 megapixels)
sensor size is good (1")
includes face detection autofocus
delivers RAW formats
external flash not possible
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-3
Street photography with Panasonic ZS100
69
screen articulates fully
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
weather proofing
78
has image stabilization (Optical)
sensor size is good (1")
delivers RAW formats
comes with touch to focus
lighter than competition in class (312 grams)
screen is fixed
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-3
Sports photography with Panasonic ZS100
57
great max shutter speed (1/8,000s)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
weather proofing
supports phase detect autofocus
slow frames per second (5.0 frames/s)
MP count low (10MP)
67
quiet mode (1/16,000s)
has image stabilization (Optical)
good MP (20 megapixels)
sensor size is good (1")
includes tracking autofocus
lack of phase detect autofocus
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Travel Comparison

Olympus E-3 as a Travel photography camera
Panasonic ZS100 as a Travel photography camera
55
weather proofing
has built in flash
screen is selfie friendly
does not have Time Lapse function
MP count low (10MP)
75
lighter than competition in class (312 grams)
comes with touch to focus
good MP (20 megapixels)
has built in flash
fairly wide (25mm)
very long reach (250mm)
does not feature selfie friendly display
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
Photography Glossary

Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-3 as a Landscape photography camera
Panasonic ZS100 as a Landscape photography camera
56
you can focus manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
weather proofing
tiny screen (2.5 inch)
MP count low (10MP)
does not have Time Lapse function
68
manual focus
fairly wide (25mm)
good sized screen (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Optical)
good MP (20MP)
sensor size is good (1")
delivers RAW formats
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-3 Vlogging highlights
Panasonic ZS100 Vlogging highlights
18
no video
35
fairly wide (25mm)
screen is touchscreen
has image stabilization (Optical)
includes face detection autofocus
video res high (3840 x 2160 pxls)
lighter than competition in class (312g)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
does not feature selfie friendly display
does not have external mic jack
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

Olympus E-3 vs Panasonic ZS100 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-3 and Panasonic ZS100
 Olympus E-3Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS100
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus E-3 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS100
Alternate name - Lumix DMC-TZ100
Class Advanced DSLR Large Sensor Compact
Released 2008-02-20 2016-01-05
Body design Mid-size SLR Large Sensor Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic III Venus Engine
Sensor type CMOS MOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 13.2 x 8.8mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 116.2mm²
Sensor resolution 10MP 20MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 3648 x 2736 5472 x 3648
Max native ISO 3200 12800
Max enhanced ISO - 25600
Lowest native ISO 100 125
RAW images
Lowest enhanced ISO - 80
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Total focus points 11 49
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 25-250mm (10.0x)
Highest aperture - f/2.8-5.9
Macro focusing range - 5cm
Number of lenses 45 -
Crop factor 2.1 2.7
Screen
Display type Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Display sizing 2.5 inches 3 inches
Display resolution 230k dot 1,040k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,166k dot
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.58x 0.46x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 secs 60 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/8000 secs 1/2000 secs
Fastest quiet shutter speed - 1/16000 secs
Continuous shutter speed 5.0fps 9.9fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 13.00 m 8.00 m (at Auto ISO)
Flash modes Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Forced On/Red-eye Reduction, Slow Sync., Slow Sync./Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/250 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 4K/UHD (3840 x 2160 @ 30p/24p), 1920 x 1080 @ 60p/60i/30p/24p, 640 x 480 (30p)
Max video resolution None 3840x2160
Video data format - MPEG-4, AVCHD
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 890 gr (1.96 lbs) 312 gr (0.69 lbs)
Dimensions 142 x 116 x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") 111 x 65 x 44mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.7")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 56 70
DXO Color Depth rating 21.6 22.8
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.5 12.5
DXO Low light rating 571 559
Other
Battery life - 300 pictures
Style of battery - Battery Pack
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 secs, 3 shots @ 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage media Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/SDHC/SDXC card
Storage slots One One
Retail pricing $670 $700