Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic ZR3

On this page, we are looking at the Olympus E-420 and Panasonic ZR3, one being a Entry-Level DSLR and the other is a Small Sensor Compact by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a sizeable gap between the image resolutions of the E-420 (10MP) and ZR3 (14MP) and the E-420 (Four Thirds) and ZR3 (1/2.3") posses totally different sensor measurements.

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The E-420 was brought out 19 months before the ZR3 making them a generation apart from one another. Both cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-420 being a Compact SLR camera and the Panasonic ZR3 being a Compact camera.

Before delving into a in-depth comparison, here is a simple introduction of how the E-420 grades against the ZR3 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus E-420 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZR3. The entire galleries are available at Olympus E-420 Gallery and Panasonic ZR3 Gallery.

For those who are intending to lug around your camera often, you will need to factor its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-420 features external measurements of 130mm x 91mm x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") with a weight of 426 grams (0.94 lbs) while the Panasonic ZR3 has measurements of 98mm x 55mm x 26mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 1.0") along with a weight of 159 grams (0.35 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-420 and Panasonic ZR3 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you are utilizing during that time. Following is a front view over all size comparison of the E-420 versus the ZR3.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-420 and ZR3 is 77 and 94 respectively.

Sometimes, its tough to visualise the difference between sensor measurements only by reading through technical specs. The visual below might offer you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-420 and ZR3.

As you have seen, both of the cameras have different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-420 because of its larger sensor will make shooting shallower depth of field less difficult and the Panasonic ZR3 will resolve greater detail having its extra 4MP. Greater resolution can also help you crop pics a bit more aggressively. The older E-420 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.