Olympus E-300 vs Panasonic ZR1

Its time to take a deeper look at the Olympus E-300 and Panasonic ZR1, former being a Advanced DSLR while the other is a Small Sensor Compact by companies Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a considerable gap between the resolutions of the E-300 (8MP) and ZR1 (12MP) and the E-300 (Four Thirds) and ZR1 (1/2.3") feature totally different sensor sizes.

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The E-300 was released 5 years before the ZR1 and that is quite a large difference as far as technology is concerned. Each of the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-300 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic ZR1 being a Compact camera.

Before we go in to a more detailed comparison, below is a brief introduction of how the E-300 matches up against the ZR1 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus E-300 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZR1. The complete galleries are available at Olympus E-300 Gallery & Panasonic ZR1 Gallery.

For anyone who is planning to lug around your camera often, you'll need to think about its weight and size. The Olympus E-300 has got exterior measurements of 147mm x 85mm x 64mm (5.8" x 3.3" x 2.5") with a weight of 624 grams (1.38 lbs) and the Panasonic ZR1 has specifications of 98mm x 55mm x 26mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 1.0") and a weight of 158 grams (0.35 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-300 and Panasonic ZR1 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you are employing during that time. Below is the front view size comparison of the E-300 against the ZR1.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-300 and ZR1 is 67 and 94 respectively.

Sometimes, it is tough to envision the gap between sensor measurements simply by looking at specifications. The visual here might offer you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the E-300 and ZR1.

To sum up, both cameras offer different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-300 due to its larger sensor will make getting shallow depth of field easier and the Panasonic ZR1 will give extra detail as a result of its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop photos a little more aggressively. The older E-300 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.