Olympus E-510 vs Panasonic LX3

The following is a comprehensive overview of the Olympus E-510 vs Panasonic LX3, one is a Advanced DSLR and the other is a Small Sensor Compact by brands Olympus and Panasonic. The resolution of the E-510 (10MP) and the LX3 (10MP) is fairly well matched but the E-510 (Four Thirds) and LX3 (1/1.63") possess different sensor sizes.

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The E-510 was announced 11 months earlier than the LX3 which means that they are of a similar generation. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-510 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic LX3 being a Compact camera.

Before delving straight into a detailed comparison, below is a quick highlight of how the E-510 matches up vs the LX3 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus E-510 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3. The whole galleries are available at Olympus E-510 Gallery and Panasonic LX3 Gallery.

In case you're intending to travel with your camera often, you need to consider its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-510 has got outer dimensions of 136mm x 92mm x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") with a weight of 490 grams (1.08 lbs) and the Panasonic LX3 has proportions of 109mm x 60mm x 27mm (4.3" x 2.4" x 1.1") along with a weight of 265 grams (0.58 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-510 vs Panasonic LX3 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you have chosen at that moment. Following is the front view dimensions comparison of the E-510 vs the LX3.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-510 and LX3 is 69 and 91 respectively.

More often than not, it is very tough to picture the gap between sensor dimensions simply by checking specifications. The pic here should offer you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the E-510 and LX3.

To sum up, both of the cameras posses the exact same megapixels but different sensor dimensions. The E-510 includes the larger sensor which will make getting shallow DOF less difficult. The more aged E-510 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.