Olympus E-520 vs Panasonic S3

Below, we are contrasting the Olympus E-520 vs Panasonic S3, former being a Entry-Level DSLR while the other is a Small Sensor Compact by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a noticeable gap between the image resolutions of the E-520 (10MP) and S3 (14MP) and the E-520 (Four Thirds) and S3 (1/2.3") feature totally different sensor sizes.

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The E-520 was brought out 3 years earlier than the S3 and that is quite a sizable difference as far as technology is concerned. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-520 being a Compact SLR camera and the Panasonic S3 being a Compact camera.

Before delving straight into a complete comparison, below is a short summation of how the E-520 matches up vs the S3 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus E-520 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-S3. The entire galleries are viewable at Olympus E-520 Gallery & Panasonic S3 Gallery.

If you're aiming to carry your camera frequently, you should factor in its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-520 comes with external dimensions of 136mm x 92mm x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") with a weight of 552 grams (1.22 lbs) whilst the Panasonic S3 has measurements of 99mm x 59mm x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8") and a weight of 117 grams (0.26 lbs).

See the Olympus E-520 vs Panasonic S3 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you are employing at that time. The following is the front view dimensions comparison of the E-520 and the S3.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-520 and S3 is 68 and 96 respectively.

Typically, it is very tough to see the difference between sensor sizing purely by checking technical specs. The graphic underneath might give you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the E-520 and S3.

As you can tell, the two cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-520 featuring a larger sensor will make achieving shallower depth of field simpler and the Panasonic S3 will give extra detail having its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also help you crop images much more aggressively. The older E-520 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.