Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic ZR1

Below, we will be contrasting the Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic ZR1, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. The resolution of the E-PL3 (12MP) and the ZR1 (12MP) is pretty similar but the E-PL3 (Four Thirds) and ZR1 (1/2.3") come with different sensor sizes.

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The E-PL3 was unveiled 2 years after the ZR1 which is quite a serious difference as far as tech is concerned. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic ZR1 being a Compact camera.

Before diving straight into a thorough comparison, below is a brief summary of how the E-PL3 scores vs the ZR1 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

This is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus PEN E-PL3 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZR1. The full galleries are available at Olympus E-PL3 Gallery & Panasonic ZR1 Gallery.

For those who are intending to travel with your camera, you should consider its weight and volume. The Olympus E-PL3 features external dimensions of 110mm x 64mm x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") with a weight of 313 grams (0.69 lbs) while the Panasonic ZR1 has sizing of 98mm x 55mm x 26mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 1.0") and a weight of 158 grams (0.35 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic ZR1 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you have at the time. The following is the front view overall size comparison of the E-PL3 compared to the ZR1.

Looking at size and weight, the portability score of the E-PL3 and ZR1 is 88 and 94 respectively.

Often, it is difficult to imagine the gap between sensor dimensions only by reviewing a spec sheet. The picture here may give you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL3 and ZR1.

Clearly, both of those cameras posses the exact same MP albeit different sensor dimensions. The E-PL3 offers the bigger sensor which should make obtaining shallower DOF simpler. The more modern E-PL3 provides an advantage when it comes to sensor technology.