Olympus E-M1 vs Panasonic ZS3
71 Imaging
52 Features
85 Overall
65
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91 Imaging
33 Features
30 Overall
31
Olympus E-M1 vs Panasonic ZS3 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
- 3" Tilting Screen
- ISO 100 - 25600
- Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
- 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Micro Four Thirds Mount
- 497g - 130 x 94 x 63mm
- Launched October 2013
- Successor is Olympus E-M1 II
(Full Review)
- 10MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Screen
- ISO 80 - 6400
- Optical Image Stabilization
- 1280 x 720 video
- 25-300mm (F3.3-4.9) lens
- 229g - 103 x 60 x 33mm
- Announced May 2009
- Also referred to as Lumix DMC-TZ7
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Olympus E-M1 vs Panasonic ZS3 Overview
On this page, we will be comparing the Olympus E-M1 and Panasonic ZS3, one is a Pro Mirrorless and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by brands Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a crucial gap between the resolutions of the E-M1 (16MP) and ZS3 (10MP) and the E-M1 (Four Thirds) and ZS3 (1/2.3") have different sensor size.
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The E-M1 was launched 4 years after the ZS3 which is quite a serious gap as far as technology is concerned. Both cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-M1 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic ZS3 being a Compact camera.
Before we go straight to a complete comparison, here is a brief introduction of how the E-M1 matches up vs the ZS3 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.
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Olympus E-M1 vs Panasonic ZS3 Gallery
The following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus OM-D E-M1 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3. The complete galleries are provided at Olympus E-M1 Gallery and Panasonic ZS3 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-M1 over the Panasonic ZS3
E-M1 | ZS3 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Announced | October 2013 | ![]() | May 2009 | Newer by 55 months |
Manually focus | ![]() | Very accurate focusing | ||
Screen type | Tilting | ![]() | Fixed | Tilting screen |
Screen resolution | 1037k | ![]() | 460k | Crisper screen (+577k dot) |
Touch screen | ![]() | Quickly navigate |
Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS3 over the Olympus E-M1
ZS3 | E-M1 |
---|
Common features in the Olympus E-M1 and Panasonic ZS3
E-M1 | ZS3 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Screen dimensions | 3" | ![]() | 3" | Equal screen size |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Neither provides selfie screen |
Olympus E-M1 vs Panasonic ZS3 Physical Comparison
For those who are going to travel with your camera regularly, you should take into account its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-M1 provides physical measurements of 130mm x 94mm x 63mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.5") having a weight of 497 grams (1.10 lbs) whilst the Panasonic ZS3 has dimensions of 103mm x 60mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") with a weight of 229 grams (0.50 lbs).
Look at the Olympus E-M1 and Panasonic ZS3 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you have chosen at the time. Here is a front view measurement comparison of the E-M1 and the ZS3.
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Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-M1 and ZS3 is 71 and 91 respectively.
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Olympus E-M1 vs Panasonic ZS3 Sensor Comparison
Quite often, it's hard to imagine the gap between sensor dimensions purely by reading technical specs. The picture here will help give you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the E-M1 and ZS3.
As you can tell, the 2 cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The E-M1 featuring a bigger sensor is going to make getting shallow DOF less difficult and the Olympus E-M1 will deliver extra detail utilizing its extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution will let you crop pictures a bit more aggressively. The fresher E-M1 should have an edge when it comes to sensor innovation.
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Olympus E-M1 vs Panasonic ZS3 Screen and ViewFinder
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Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison
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Street Comparison
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Sports Comparison
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Travel Comparison
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Landscape Comparison
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Vlogging Comparison
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Olympus E-M1 vs Panasonic ZS3 Specifications
Olympus OM-D E-M1 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Make | Olympus | Panasonic |
Model type | Olympus OM-D E-M1 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 |
Alternative name | - | Lumix DMC-TZ7 |
Class | Pro Mirrorless | Small Sensor Superzoom |
Launched | 2013-10-28 | 2009-05-14 |
Body design | SLR-style mirrorless | Compact |
Sensor Information | ||
Processor Chip | TruePIC VII | - |
Sensor type | CMOS | CCD |
Sensor size | Four Thirds | 1/2.3" |
Sensor dimensions | 17.3 x 13mm | 6.08 x 4.56mm |
Sensor surface area | 224.9mm² | 27.7mm² |
Sensor resolution | 16 megapixel | 10 megapixel |
Anti alias filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 | 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 |
Max resolution | 4608 x 3456 | 3648 x 2736 |
Max native ISO | 25600 | 6400 |
Min native ISO | 100 | 80 |
RAW photos | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
Autofocus touch | ||
Continuous autofocus | ||
Autofocus single | ||
Tracking autofocus | ||
Autofocus selectice | ||
Center weighted autofocus | ||
Autofocus multi area | ||
Live view autofocus | ||
Face detection autofocus | ||
Contract detection autofocus | ||
Phase detection autofocus | ||
Total focus points | 81 | 11 |
Lens | ||
Lens mount type | Micro Four Thirds | fixed lens |
Lens zoom range | - | 25-300mm (12.0x) |
Highest aperture | - | f/3.3-4.9 |
Macro focusing distance | - | 3cm |
Total lenses | 107 | - |
Focal length multiplier | 2.1 | 5.9 |
Screen | ||
Screen type | Tilting | Fixed Type |
Screen size | 3 inch | 3 inch |
Resolution of screen | 1,037k dot | 460k dot |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch functionality | ||
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder | Electronic | None |
Viewfinder resolution | 2,360k dot | - |
Viewfinder coverage | 100 percent | - |
Viewfinder magnification | 0.74x | - |
Features | ||
Minimum shutter speed | 60s | 60s |
Fastest shutter speed | 1/8000s | 1/2000s |
Continuous shutter speed | 10.0fps | 2.0fps |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Expose Manually | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | - |
Set white balance | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Integrated flash | ||
Flash distance | no built-in flash | 5.30 m (Auto ISO) |
Flash options | Flash Auto, Redeye, Fill-in, Flash Off, Red-eye Slow sync (1st curtain), Slow sync (1st curtain), Slow sync (2nd curtain), Manual | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync |
External flash | ||
Auto exposure bracketing | ||
White balance bracketing | ||
Fastest flash sync | 1/320s | - |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment exposure | ||
Average exposure | ||
Spot exposure | ||
Partial exposure | ||
AF area exposure | ||
Center weighted exposure | ||
Video features | ||
Video resolutions | 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) | 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) |
Max video resolution | 1920x1080 | 1280x720 |
Video file format | H.264, Motion JPEG | AVCHD Lite |
Mic jack | ||
Headphone jack | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | Built-In | None |
Bluetooth | ||
NFC | ||
HDMI | ||
USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
GPS | None | None |
Physical | ||
Environmental seal | ||
Water proofing | ||
Dust proofing | ||
Shock proofing | ||
Crush proofing | ||
Freeze proofing | ||
Weight | 497 grams (1.10 pounds) | 229 grams (0.50 pounds) |
Physical dimensions | 130 x 94 x 63mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.5") | 103 x 60 x 33mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO Overall rating | 73 | not tested |
DXO Color Depth rating | 23.0 | not tested |
DXO Dynamic range rating | 12.7 | not tested |
DXO Low light rating | 757 | not tested |
Other | ||
Battery life | 350 images | - |
Type of battery | Battery Pack | - |
Battery ID | BLN-1 | - |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom) | Yes (2 or 10 sec) |
Time lapse feature | ||
Type of storage | SD/SDHC/SDXC | SD/MMC/SDHC card, Internal |
Storage slots | Single | Single |
Launch cost | $799 | $200 |