Olympus E-510 vs Panasonic ZS35

On this page, we will be contrasting the Olympus E-510 vs Panasonic ZS35, former being a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by companies Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a substantial gap among the sensor resolutions of the E-510 (10MP) and ZS35 (16MP) and the E-510 (Four Thirds) and ZS35 (1/2.3") posses totally different sensor sizes.

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The E-510 was revealed 7 years earlier than the ZS35 and that is a fairly big difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-510 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic ZS35 being a Compact camera.

Before going straight to a comprehensive comparison, here is a brief introduction of how the E-510 grades against the ZS35 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus E-510 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS35. The full galleries are viewable at Olympus E-510 Gallery & Panasonic ZS35 Gallery.

When you are planning to lug around your camera frequently, you'll have to factor in its weight and size. The Olympus E-510 features outside measurements of 136mm x 92mm x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") accompanied by a weight of 490 grams (1.08 lbs) whilst the Panasonic ZS35 has specifications of 107mm x 62mm x 32mm (4.2" x 2.4" x 1.3") along with a weight of 305 grams (0.67 lbs).

See the Olympus E-510 vs Panasonic ZS35 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you have at that moment. The following is a front view dimensions comparison of the E-510 compared to the ZS35.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-510 and ZS35 is 69 and 89 respectively.

Quite often, it's hard to visualise the gap in sensor measurements purely by checking out a spec sheet. The photograph below may offer you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-510 and ZS35.

As you can see, both cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-510 having a bigger sensor will make achieving shallower depth of field easier and the Panasonic ZS35 will provide more detail because of its extra 6MP. Higher resolution will enable you to crop pictures more aggressively. The older E-510 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.