Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic ZS3

Its time to take a deeper look at the Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic ZS3, former is a Advanced Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a noticeable gap among the resolutions of the E-M5 II (16MP) and ZS3 (10MP) and the E-M5 II (Four Thirds) and ZS3 (1/2.3") feature totally different sensor size.

Photography Glossary

The E-M5 II was manufactured 5 years after the ZS3 which is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-M5 II being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic ZS3 being a Compact camera.

Before we go straight into a full comparison, below is a quick synopsis of how the E-M5 II scores vs the ZS3 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Here is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus OM-D E-M5 II & Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3. The entire galleries are provided at Olympus E-M5 II Gallery & Panasonic ZS3 Gallery.

For anyone who is intending to carry around your camera frequently, you have to factor its weight and size. The Olympus E-M5 II has got outer measurements of 124mm x 85mm x 45mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 1.8") and a weight of 469 grams (1.03 lbs) and the Panasonic ZS3 has specifications of 103mm x 60mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") having a weight of 229 grams (0.50 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic ZS3 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you are employing at that time. Following is the front view physical size comparison of the E-M5 II compared to the ZS3.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-M5 II and ZS3 is 80 and 91 respectively.

Normally, it can be tough to envision the gap in sensor sizes only by seeing specifications. The image below might provide you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the E-M5 II and ZS3.

To sum up, both of these cameras enjoy different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The E-M5 II because of its bigger sensor will make shooting shallow DOF simpler and the Olympus E-M5 II will show greater detail due to its extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop photographs far more aggressively. The more modern E-M5 II will have a benefit when it comes to sensor innovation.