Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic ZS100

In this write-up, we are analyzing the Olympus E-P3 versus Panasonic ZS100, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Large Sensor Compact by companies Olympus and Panasonic. There is a noticeable difference between the image resolutions of the E-P3 (12MP) and ZS100 (20MP) and the E-P3 (Four Thirds) and ZS100 (1") enjoy totally different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The E-P3 was released 5 years earlier than the ZS100 which is quite a sizable difference as far as tech is concerned. Each of the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-P3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic ZS100 being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before delving through a complete comparison, below is a brief introduction of how the E-P3 grades against the ZS100 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN E-P3 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS100. The complete galleries are viewable at Olympus E-P3 Gallery & Panasonic ZS100 Gallery.

In case you're looking to travel with your camera often, you're going to have to take into account its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-P3 comes with physical measurements of 122mm x 69mm x 34mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.3") having a weight of 369 grams (0.81 lbs) and the Panasonic ZS100 has measurements of 111mm x 65mm x 44mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.7") along with a weight of 312 grams (0.69 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-P3 versus Panasonic ZS100 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you are employing at the time. Here is the front view measurement comparison of the E-P3 versus the ZS100.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability grade of the E-P3 and ZS100 is 86 and 87 respectively.

Often, it is hard to envision the difference between sensor dimensions only by checking technical specs. The pic underneath might give you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-P3 and ZS100.

As you can tell, each of the cameras offer different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The E-P3 featuring a larger sensor will make shooting shallow DOF less difficult and the Panasonic ZS100 will resolve more detail as a result of its extra 8 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop images a little more aggressively. The more aged E-P3 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor innovation.