Olympus E-600 vs Panasonic S3

Below, we are analyzing the Olympus E-600 and Panasonic S3, former is a Entry-Level DSLR while the other is a Small Sensor Compact by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. The sensor resolution of the E-600 (12MP) and the S3 (14MP) is very close but the E-600 (Four Thirds) and S3 (1/2.3") feature totally different sensor size.

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The E-600 was announced 16 months before the S3 making the cameras a generation away from one another. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-600 being a Compact SLR camera and the Panasonic S3 being a Compact camera.

Before we go in to a in-depth comparison, below is a concise summary of how the E-600 scores versus the S3 for portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Following is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus E-600 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-S3. The whole galleries are available at Olympus E-600 Gallery & Panasonic S3 Gallery.

For anyone who is planning to carry around your camera often, you're going to have to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-600 comes with exterior measurements of 130mm x 94mm x 60mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.4") along with a weight of 515 grams (1.14 lbs) while the Panasonic S3 has dimensions of 99mm x 59mm x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8") having a weight of 117 grams (0.26 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-600 and Panasonic S3 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you have attached at that moment. Below is the front view measurement comparison of the E-600 vs the S3.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-600 and S3 is 71 and 96 respectively.

Quite often, its tough to visualise the gap in sensor sizes just by viewing technical specs. The pic underneath should give you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the E-600 and S3.

As you can tell, each of these cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The E-600 with its larger sensor will make shooting shallow depth of field less difficult and the Panasonic S3 will render greater detail with its extra 2MP. Greater resolution will let you crop pics somewhat more aggressively. The more aged E-600 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.