Olympus E-3 vs Panasonic ZS7

Lets look a bit more in depth at the Olympus E-3 and Panasonic ZS7, one is a Advanced DSLR and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. The resolution of the E-3 (10MP) and the ZS7 (12MP) is relatively close but the E-3 (Four Thirds) and ZS7 (1/2.3") boast different sensor dimensions.

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The E-3 was announced 4 years before the ZS7 which is a fairly significant gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-3 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic ZS7 being a Compact camera.

Before getting into a full comparison, here is a concise summation of how the E-3 scores vs the ZS7 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Here is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus E-3 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7. The whole galleries are available at Olympus E-3 Gallery and Panasonic ZS7 Gallery.

For anyone who is planning to travel with your camera often, you will need to factor its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-3 comes with external dimensions of 142mm x 116mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") and a weight of 890 grams (1.96 lbs) and the Panasonic ZS7 has measurements of 103mm x 60mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") accompanied by a weight of 218 grams (0.48 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-3 and Panasonic ZS7 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you are using at that moment. Here is a front view scale comparison of the E-3 and the ZS7.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-3 and ZS7 is 56 and 91 respectively.

Sometimes, it's difficult to visualize the gap in sensor dimensions just by viewing specs. The image here will give you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-3 and ZS7.

As you can plainly see, both cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The E-3 having a bigger sensor is going to make achieving shallower DOF easier and the Panasonic ZS7 will result in more detail with its extra 2MP. Higher resolution will let you crop photographs a good deal more aggressively. The more aged E-3 will be behind in sensor technology.