Olympus E-330 vs Panasonic ZS1

Let's look closer at the Olympus E-330 vs Panasonic ZS1, one is a Advanced DSLR and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. There is a significant difference between the sensor resolutions of the E-330 (7MP) and ZS1 (10MP) and the E-330 (Four Thirds) and ZS1 (1/2.5") provide different sensor sizes.

Photography Glossary

The E-330 was unveiled 4 years earlier than the ZS1 which is quite a sizable gap as far as tech is concerned. The two cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-330 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic ZS1 being a Compact camera.

Before diving into a more detailed comparison, here is a concise view of how the E-330 grades against the ZS1 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus E-330 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS1. The full galleries are provided at Olympus E-330 Gallery and Panasonic ZS1 Gallery.

For those who are aiming to travel with your camera frequently, you're going to have to factor its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-330 has got external dimensions of 140mm x 87mm x 72mm (5.5" x 3.4" x 2.8") with a weight of 616 grams (1.36 lbs) while the Panasonic ZS1 has proportions of 103mm x 60mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") along with a weight of 229 grams (0.50 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-330 vs Panasonic ZS1 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you use at that moment. Underneath is a front view measurements comparison of the E-330 versus the ZS1.

Using size and weight, the portability rating of the E-330 and ZS1 is 65 and 91 respectively.

In many cases, its hard to visualize the gap between sensor dimensions simply by checking specs. The image below might give you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the E-330 and ZS1.

As you can plainly see, both of these cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The E-330 with its larger sensor is going to make achieving shallow depth of field easier and the Panasonic ZS1 will give greater detail having an extra 3 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also allow you to crop photos a good deal more aggressively. The more aged E-330 is going to be behind with regard to sensor tech.