Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic ZR3

Here is a in depth assessment of the Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic ZR3, one being a Advanced DSLR and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a crucial gap among the sensor resolutions of the E-500 (8MP) and ZR3 (14MP) and the E-500 (Four Thirds) and ZR3 (1/2.3") possess totally different sensor dimensions.

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The E-500 was announced 5 years earlier than the ZR3 and that is a fairly serious gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of these cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-500 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic ZR3 being a Compact camera.

Before going through a complete comparison, below is a short introduction of how the E-500 matches up against the ZR3 for portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Here is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus E-500 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZR3. The whole galleries are available at Olympus E-500 Gallery and Panasonic ZR3 Gallery.

If you're aiming to carry your camera, you have to factor its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-500 provides outer dimensions of 130mm x 95mm x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") with a weight of 479 grams (1.06 lbs) while the Panasonic ZR3 has dimensions of 98mm x 55mm x 26mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 1.0") along with a weight of 159 grams (0.35 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic ZR3 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you select at that moment. The following is the front view physical size comparison of the E-500 compared to the ZR3.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-500 and ZR3 is 70 and 94 respectively.

Typically, it is very hard to visualise the gap in sensor sizing simply by seeing specifications. The photograph here will help offer you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-500 and ZR3.

Plainly, both cameras offer different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-500 with its bigger sensor will make achieving shallower DOF simpler and the Panasonic ZR3 will show greater detail with its extra 6MP. Higher resolution can also help you crop pictures a little more aggressively. The older E-500 will be behind in sensor tech.