Olympus E-330 vs Panasonic ZS3

Let's take a more detailed look at the Olympus E-330 vs Panasonic ZS3, former is a Advanced DSLR while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. There is a noticeable difference between the resolutions of the E-330 (7MP) and ZS3 (10MP) and the E-330 (Four Thirds) and ZS3 (1/2.3") posses totally different sensor sizes.

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The E-330 was announced 4 years prior to the ZS3 which is quite a sizable difference as far as tech is concerned. The two cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-330 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic ZS3 being a Compact camera.

Before diving into a step-by-step comparison, here is a quick view of how the E-330 scores against the ZS3 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus E-330 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3. The whole galleries are viewable at Olympus E-330 Gallery & Panasonic ZS3 Gallery.

If you are intending to carry around your camera, you'll need to factor in its weight and size. The Olympus E-330 provides outside measurements of 140mm x 87mm x 72mm (5.5" x 3.4" x 2.8") and a weight of 616 grams (1.36 lbs) whilst the Panasonic ZS3 has specifications of 103mm x 60mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") and a weight of 229 grams (0.50 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-330 vs Panasonic ZS3 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you are working with at that moment. Here is a front view scale comparison of the E-330 vs the ZS3.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability grade of the E-330 and ZS3 is 65 and 91 respectively.

Usually, it's hard to envision the difference between sensor sizes only by looking at technical specs. The pic here will help offer you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-330 and ZS3.

As you have seen, both of these cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The E-330 using its larger sensor will make shooting shallow DOF simpler and the Panasonic ZS3 will give more detail with its extra 3MP. Greater resolution will help you crop photos a bit more aggressively. The more aged E-330 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor tech.