Olympus E-300 vs Panasonic ZS80

In this write-up, we are matching up the Olympus E-300 vs Panasonic ZS80, one being a Advanced DSLR and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by brands Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a crucial gap between the image resolutions of the E-300 (8MP) and ZS80 (20MP) and the E-300 (Four Thirds) and ZS80 (1/2.3") come with different sensor measurements.

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The E-300 was released 14 years earlier than the ZS80 and that is quite a serious gap as far as technology is concerned. Both of the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-300 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic ZS80 being a Compact camera.

Before going straight into a in depth comparison, below is a quick highlight of how the E-300 grades vs the ZS80 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus E-300 and Panasonic Lumix DC-ZS80. The complete galleries are viewable at Olympus E-300 Gallery and Panasonic ZS80 Gallery.

For anyone who is going to lug around your camera frequently, you'll need to consider its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-300 comes with outer dimensions of 147mm x 85mm x 64mm (5.8" x 3.3" x 2.5") having a weight of 624 grams (1.38 lbs) while the Panasonic ZS80 has proportions of 112mm x 69mm x 42mm (4.4" x 2.7" x 1.7") having a weight of 327 grams (0.72 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-300 vs Panasonic ZS80 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you have attached at the time. The following is the front view proportions comparison of the E-300 vs the ZS80.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-300 and ZS80 is 67 and 86 respectively.

Normally, it is very tough to visualize the gap between sensor measurements purely by reading specs. The graphic below should provide you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the E-300 and ZS80.

All in all, both cameras enjoy different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-300 because of its larger sensor is going to make getting bokeh simpler and the Panasonic ZS80 will deliver more detail as a result of its extra 12MP. Greater resolution can also help you crop pics far more aggressively. The older E-300 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.