Olympus E-M1 III vs Panasonic ZS20

Following is a detailed assessment of the Olympus E-M1 III vs Panasonic ZS20, one is a Pro Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by companies Olympus and Panasonic. There is a big difference between the sensor resolutions of the E-M1 III (20MP) and ZS20 (14MP) and the E-M1 III (Four Thirds) and ZS20 (1/2.3") have different sensor dimensions.

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The E-M1 III was launched 7 years after the ZS20 which is quite a big gap as far as tech is concerned. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-M1 III being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic ZS20 being a Compact camera.

Before getting right into a detailed comparison, here is a simple introduction of how the E-M1 III scores against the ZS20 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III and Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20. The complete galleries are provided at Olympus E-M1 III Gallery and Panasonic ZS20 Gallery.

If you are intending to carry around your camera frequently, you'll have to think about its weight and size. The Olympus E-M1 III provides exterior dimensions of 134mm x 91mm x 69mm (5.3" x 3.6" x 2.7") having a weight of 580 grams (1.28 lbs) while the Panasonic ZS20 has specifications of 105mm x 59mm x 28mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.1") along with a weight of 206 grams (0.45 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-M1 III vs Panasonic ZS20 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you have attached at that moment. Below is a front view measurement comparison of the E-M1 III vs the ZS20.

Considering size and weight, the portability grade of the E-M1 III and ZS20 is 67 and 92 respectively.

Often, it is very difficult to picture the gap between sensor sizes simply by looking at specs. The image underneath will give you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-M1 III and ZS20.

As you can plainly see, both the cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The E-M1 III due to its larger sensor is going to make achieving shallower DOF easier and the Olympus E-M1 III will give more detail utilizing its extra 6MP. Greater resolution can also enable you to crop images a bit more aggressively. The more recent E-M1 III provides an edge with regard to sensor tech.