Olympus E-M10 vs Panasonic ZR3

Let's look more closely at the Olympus E-M10 vs Panasonic ZR3, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Compact by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. The image resolution of the E-M10 (16MP) and the ZR3 (14MP) is fairly well matched but the E-M10 (Four Thirds) and ZR3 (1/2.3") enjoy totally different sensor sizing.

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The E-M10 was manufactured 4 years later than the ZR3 and that is quite a serious gap as far as tech is concerned. Each of the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-M10 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic ZR3 being a Compact camera.

Before getting straight into a in-depth comparison, below is a short highlight of how the E-M10 scores vs the ZR3 for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus OM-D E-M10 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZR3. The entire galleries are available at Olympus E-M10 Gallery and Panasonic ZR3 Gallery.

For anyone who is planning to lug around your camera, you have to factor its weight and volume. The Olympus E-M10 comes with exterior measurements of 119mm x 82mm x 46mm (4.7" x 3.2" x 1.8") with a weight of 396 grams (0.87 lbs) while the Panasonic ZR3 has sizing of 98mm x 55mm x 26mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 1.0") along with a weight of 159 grams (0.35 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-M10 vs Panasonic ZR3 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you use at that moment. The following is the front view scale comparison of the E-M10 vs the ZR3.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability score of the E-M10 and ZR3 is 82 and 94 respectively.

Oftentimes, it is difficult to visualise the difference between sensor measurements just by checking technical specs. The graphic below will help offer you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-M10 and ZR3.

As you can tell, each of these cameras offer different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-M10 because of its larger sensor will make achieving shallow DOF less difficult and the Olympus E-M10 will resolve extra detail due to its extra 2MP. Greater resolution can also enable you to crop photos a little more aggressively. The fresher E-M10 will have an edge with regard to sensor tech.