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Olympus E-3 vs Panasonic ZS7

Portability
56
Imaging
44
Features
56
Overall
48
Olympus E-3 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7 front
Portability
91
Imaging
35
Features
33
Overall
34

Olympus E-3 vs Panasonic ZS7 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
  • Announced February 2008
  • Earlier Model is Olympus E-1
  • Newer Model is Olympus E-5
Panasonic ZS7
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-300mm (F3.3-4.9) lens
  • 218g - 103 x 60 x 33mm
  • Launched July 2011
  • Alternate Name is Lumix DMC-TZ10
  • Updated by Panasonic ZS8
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Olympus E-3 vs Panasonic ZS7 Overview

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.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-3 over the Panasonic ZS7

 E-3 ZS7 
Manually focus More precise focus
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Selfie screen Take selfies

Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS7 over the Olympus E-3

 ZS7 E-3 
LaunchedJuly 2011February 2008Newer by 41 months
Screen size3"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.5")
Screen resolution460k230kClearer screen (+230k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-3 and Panasonic ZS7

 E-3 ZS7 
Touch friendly screen Lacking Touch friendly screen

Olympus E-3 vs Panasonic ZS7 Physical Comparison

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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Olympus E-3 vs Panasonic ZS7 size comparison

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

Olympus E-3 vs Panasonic ZS7 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-3 vs Panasonic ZS7 Sensor Comparison

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.

Olympus E-3 vs Panasonic ZS7 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-3 vs Panasonic ZS7 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-3 vs Panasonic ZS7 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-3 Portrait photography highlights
Panasonic ZS7 Portrait photography highlights
56
you can focus manually
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
MP count low (10MP)
21
manual focus not available
can't use external flash
MP count low (12MP)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
Photography Glossary

Street Comparison

Olympus E-3 Street photography details
Panasonic ZS7 Street photography details
69
screen articulates
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
environment proof
60
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition (218 grams)
screen is fixed
sensor is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-3 Sports photography information
Panasonic ZS7 Sports photography information
57
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000s)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
environment proof
has phase detect AF
slow fps (5.0 frames per second)
MP count low (10 megapixels)
27
image stabilization (Optical)
continuous shooting slow (2.0 frames/s)
MP count low (12MP)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-3 Travel photography factors
Panasonic ZS7 Travel photography factors
55
environment proof
has built in flash
screen is selfie friendly
does not have Time Lapse recording
MP count low (10 megapixels)
63
lighter than competition (218g)
built-in flash
fairly wide (25mm)
very long reach (300mm)
missing Timelapse recording
MP count low (12 megapixels)
display is not selfie friendly
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-3 as a Landscape photography camera
Panasonic ZS7 as a Landscape photography camera
56
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
environment proof
tiny screen (2.5 inch)
MP count low (10 megapixels)
does not have Time Lapse recording
38
fairly wide (25mm)
screen size is good (3")
image stabilization (Optical)
manual focus not available
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
MP count low (12 megapixels)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
missing Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-3 Vlogging features
Panasonic ZS7 Vlogging features
18
no video
30
fairly wide (25mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition (218 grams)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
display is not selfie friendly
low quality video (1280 x 720 resolution)
missing external microphone support
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Olympus E-3 vs Panasonic ZS7 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-3 and Panasonic ZS7
 Olympus E-3Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus E-3 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7
Alternative name - Lumix DMC-TZ10
Class Advanced DSLR Small Sensor Superzoom
Announced 2008-02-20 2011-07-19
Physical type Mid-size SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic III Venus Engine HD II
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 10 megapixel 12 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 3648 x 2736 4000 x 3000
Max native ISO 3200 6400
Lowest native ISO 100 80
RAW data
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 11 11
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 25-300mm (12.0x)
Maximal aperture - f/3.3-4.9
Macro focusing distance - 3cm
Number of lenses 45 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.9
Screen
Type of display Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Display size 2.5 inch 3 inch
Display resolution 230k dots 460k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) None
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.58x -
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60s 60s
Maximum shutter speed 1/8000s 1/2000s
Continuous shooting rate 5.0 frames/s 2.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 13.00 m 5.30 m
Flash options Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/250s -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Max video resolution None 1280x720
Video file format - AVCHD Lite
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 890 grams (1.96 pounds) 218 grams (0.48 pounds)
Physical dimensions 142 x 116 x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") 103 x 60 x 33mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 56 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 21.6 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.5 not tested
DXO Low light rating 571 not tested
Other
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage type Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots One One
Price at launch $670 $350