Olympus E-600 vs Panasonic ZS20

Let's take a more detailed look at the Olympus E-600 vs Panasonic ZS20, one being a Entry-Level DSLR and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by brands Olympus and Panasonic. The resolution of the E-600 (12MP) and the ZS20 (14MP) is very comparable but the E-600 (Four Thirds) and ZS20 (1/2.3") posses different sensor sizing.

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The E-600 was launched 3 years before the ZS20 and that is a fairly sizable gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-600 being a Compact SLR camera and the Panasonic ZS20 being a Compact camera.

Before going straight to a comprehensive comparison, here is a simple summation of how the E-600 grades against the ZS20 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus E-600 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20. The complete galleries are provided at Olympus E-600 Gallery and Panasonic ZS20 Gallery.

For those who are aiming to lug around your camera regularly, you have to think about its weight and size. The Olympus E-600 features physical dimensions of 130mm x 94mm x 60mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.4") with a weight of 515 grams (1.14 lbs) and the Panasonic ZS20 has specifications of 105mm x 59mm x 28mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.1") having a weight of 206 grams (0.45 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-600 vs Panasonic ZS20 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you are utilizing at that moment. Following is a front view physical size comparison of the E-600 versus the ZS20.

Looking at size and weight, the portability grade of the E-600 and ZS20 is 71 and 92 respectively.

Usually, it is very tough to visualize the contrast in sensor measurements purely by checking out a spec sheet. The visual here should offer you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-600 and ZS20.

Clearly, both of the cameras feature different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-600 due to its larger sensor is going to make getting shallow DOF simpler and the Panasonic ZS20 will provide greater detail utilizing its extra 2MP. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop images way more aggressively. The older E-600 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.