Olympus E-520 vs Panasonic ZR3

Below is a comprehensive comparison of the Olympus E-520 versus Panasonic ZR3, one being a Entry-Level DSLR and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a significant gap among the sensor resolutions of the E-520 (10MP) and ZR3 (14MP) and the E-520 (Four Thirds) and ZR3 (1/2.3") possess different sensor size.

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The E-520 was unveiled 17 months prior to the ZR3 which makes the cameras a generation apart from one another. Each of these cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-520 being a Compact SLR camera and the Panasonic ZR3 being a Compact camera.

Before diving in to a detailed comparison, below is a brief view of how the E-520 scores versus the ZR3 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus E-520 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZR3. The full galleries are provided at Olympus E-520 Gallery and Panasonic ZR3 Gallery.

When you are looking to lug around your camera regularly, you will have to consider its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-520 offers external dimensions of 136mm x 92mm x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") along with a weight of 552 grams (1.22 lbs) and the Panasonic ZR3 has dimensions of 98mm x 55mm x 26mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 1.0") having a weight of 159 grams (0.35 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-520 versus Panasonic ZR3 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you select during that time. Underneath is the front view overall size comparison of the E-520 versus the ZR3.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-520 and ZR3 is 68 and 94 respectively.

More often than not, it is very difficult to imagine the difference in sensor measurements merely by researching specs. The graphic below will help provide you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-520 and ZR3.

As you can plainly see, the 2 cameras offer different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-520 with its bigger sensor is going to make shooting shallow DOF simpler and the Panasonic ZR3 will result in greater detail having an extra 4MP. Higher resolution can also help you crop pictures a little more aggressively. The older E-520 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.