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Olympus E-300 vs Panasonic ZS20

Portability
67
Imaging
41
Features
31
Overall
37
Olympus E-300 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20 front
Portability
92
Imaging
37
Features
46
Overall
40

Olympus E-300 vs Panasonic ZS20 Key Specs

Olympus E-300
(Full Review)
  • 8MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 1.8" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 400 (Expand to 1600)
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 624g - 147 x 85 x 64mm
  • Introduced January 2005
  • Other Name is EVOLT E-300
  • New Model is Olympus E-330
Panasonic ZS20
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-480mm (F3.3-6.4) lens
  • 206g - 105 x 59 x 28mm
  • Revealed April 2012
  • Alternative Name is Lumix DMC-TZ30
  • Replaced the Panasonic ZS15
  • Renewed by Panasonic ZS25
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Olympus E-300 vs Panasonic ZS20 Overview

Here is a thorough assessment of the Olympus E-300 vs Panasonic ZS20, former being a Advanced DSLR while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a large gap between the sensor resolutions of the E-300 (8MP) and ZS20 (14MP) and the E-300 (Four Thirds) and ZS20 (1/2.3") boast totally different sensor size.

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The E-300 was brought out 8 years earlier than the ZS20 and that is quite a serious difference as far as technology is concerned. Both cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-300 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic ZS20 being a Compact camera.

Before going right into a complete comparison, here is a brief view of how the E-300 grades versus the ZS20 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-300 over the Panasonic ZS20

 E-300 ZS20 
Focus manually More precise focusing

Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS20 over the Olympus E-300

 ZS20 E-300 
RevealedApril 2012January 2005Fresher by 88 months
Display size3"1.8"Larger display (+1.2")
Display resolution460k134kSharper display (+326k dot)
Touch display Easily navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-300 and Panasonic ZS20

 E-300 ZS20 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Neither features selfie screen

Olympus E-300 vs Panasonic ZS20 Physical Comparison

In case you're intending to carry your camera regularly, you should think about its weight and volume. The Olympus E-300 enjoys outer 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 ZS20 has sizing of 105mm x 59mm x 28mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.1") having a weight of 206 grams (0.45 lbs).

See the Olympus E-300 vs Panasonic ZS20 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you are utilizing at the time. Following is a front view sizing comparison of the E-300 against the ZS20.

Olympus E-300 vs Panasonic ZS20 size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-300 and ZS20 is 67 and 92 respectively.

Olympus E-300 vs Panasonic ZS20 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-300 vs Panasonic ZS20 Sensor Comparison

Typically, it is hard to see the difference between sensor sizing only by reading specifications. The graphic underneath might give you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the E-300 and ZS20.

Plainly, each of the cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The E-300 due to its larger sensor will make getting shallower depth of field less difficult and the Panasonic ZS20 will offer you extra detail having its extra 6MP. Greater resolution can also enable you to crop images a good deal more aggressively. The older E-300 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor technology.

Olympus E-300 vs Panasonic ZS20 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-300 vs Panasonic ZS20 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-300 vs Panasonic ZS20 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-300 Portrait photography details
Panasonic ZS20 Portrait photography details
48
you can focus manually
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
no liveview
MP count low (8MP)
30
megapixel count good (14MP)
focusing manually not possible
can't use external flash
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-300 as a Street photography camera
Panasonic ZS20 as a Street photography camera
51
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
screen does not articulate
lack of image stabilization
low maximum ISO (400)
65
built in image stabilization (Optical)
comes with focus by touch
lighter than others in class (206 grams)
fixed screen
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-300 Sports photography info
Panasonic ZS20 Sports photography info
37
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with phase detect auto focus
no liveview
max fps low (3.0 frames/s)
lack of image stabilization
MP count low (8 megapixels)
47
excellent zoom range (24-480mm 20.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count good (14 megapixels)
supports tracking autofocus
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
not so great battery life (260 shots)
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-300 Travel photography factors
Panasonic ZS20 Travel photography factors
45
has built in flash
missing Time Lapse recording
MP count low (8 megapixels)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
68
lighter than others in class (206 grams)
comes with focus by touch
megapixel count good (14MP)
built-in flash
quite wide (24mm)
great reach (480mm)
lack of Time Lapse mode
not so great battery life (260 shots)
display is not selfie friendly
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-300 Landscape photography details
Panasonic ZS20 Landscape photography details
43
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
small screen (1.8 inch)
no liveview
lack of image stabilization
MP count low (8 megapixels)
low maximum ISO (400)
missing Time Lapse recording
42
quite wide (24mm)
screen size is good (3")
built in image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count good (14MP)
focusing manually not possible
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
not so great battery life (260 per charge)
lack of Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-300 Vlogging info
Panasonic ZS20 Vlogging info
9
no video
34
quite wide (24mm)
has touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Optical)
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
lighter than others in class (206g)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
display is not selfie friendly
lack of external mic port
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Olympus E-300 vs Panasonic ZS20 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-300 and Panasonic ZS20
 Olympus E-300Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20
General Information
Company Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus E-300 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20
Also called EVOLT E-300 Lumix DMC-TZ30
Class Advanced DSLR Small Sensor Superzoom
Introduced 2005-01-10 2012-04-26
Body design Mid-size SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 8MP 14MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 3264 x 2448 4320 x 3240
Highest native ISO 400 6400
Highest enhanced ISO 1600 -
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW images
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Total focus points 3 23
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 24-480mm (20.0x)
Maximal aperture - f/3.3-6.4
Macro focusing distance - 3cm
Number of lenses 45 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.9
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display diagonal 1.8 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 134k dot 460k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentamirror) None
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 seconds 15 seconds
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Continuous shutter speed 3.0 frames per second 10.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance - 6.40 m
Flash options Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/180 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (220 fps)
Highest video resolution None 1920x1080
Video file format - MPEG-4, AVCHD
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 1.0 (1.5 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 624 gr (1.38 lbs) 206 gr (0.45 lbs)
Physical dimensions 147 x 85 x 64mm (5.8" x 3.3" x 2.5") 105 x 59 x 28mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.1")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery life - 260 photographs
Battery form - Battery Pack
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II) SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots One One
Retail pricing $800 $349