Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic FZ300

Following is a in-depth comparison of the Olympus E-P3 and Panasonic FZ300, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by companies Olympus and Panasonic. The image resolution of the E-P3 (12MP) and the FZ300 (12MP) is relatively close but the E-P3 (Four Thirds) and FZ300 (1/2.3") posses totally different sensor sizes.

Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

The E-P3 was revealed 4 years earlier than the FZ300 which is a fairly large gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-P3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic FZ300 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before getting into a complete comparison, here is a short summary of how the E-P3 scores vs the FZ300 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

The following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus PEN E-P3 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ300. The full galleries are viewable at Olympus E-P3 Gallery and Panasonic FZ300 Gallery.

For anyone who is going to carry around your camera often, you'll need to think about its weight and volume. The Olympus E-P3 features physical dimensions of 122mm x 69mm x 34mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.3") along with a weight of 369 grams (0.81 lbs) and the Panasonic FZ300 has sizing of 132mm x 92mm x 117mm (5.2" x 3.6" x 4.6") along with a weight of 691 grams (1.52 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-P3 and Panasonic FZ300 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you are employing at that moment. Following is a front view measurement comparison of the E-P3 vs the FZ300.

Considering size and weight, the portability grade of the E-P3 and FZ300 is 86 and 59 respectively.

Oftentimes, its difficult to see the gap in sensor sizes purely by looking through technical specs. The pic here might provide you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-P3 and FZ300.

As you can tell, both of the cameras come with the identical resolution albeit not the same sensor sizes. The E-P3 comes with the bigger sensor which should make achieving shallower depth of field easier. The more aged E-P3 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.