Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic ZS100

Lets look more closely at the Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic ZS100, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Large Sensor Compact by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. There is a sizeable difference among the resolutions of the E-PL3 (12MP) and ZS100 (20MP) and the E-PL3 (Four Thirds) and ZS100 (1") boast totally different sensor sizing.

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The E-PL3 was brought out 5 years earlier than the ZS100 and that is a fairly large gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-PL3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic ZS100 being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before getting right into a complete comparison, here is a concise view of how the E-PL3 grades versus the ZS100 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

This is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus PEN E-PL3 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS100. The entire galleries are viewable at Olympus E-PL3 Gallery and Panasonic ZS100 Gallery.

If you are aiming to carry your camera, you are going to need to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-PL3 comes with outside measurements 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 ZS100 has dimensions of 111mm x 65mm x 44mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.7") along with a weight of 312 grams (0.69 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic ZS100 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you are utilizing at that time. Here is a front view over all size comparison of the E-PL3 against the ZS100.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability score of the E-PL3 and ZS100 is 88 and 87 respectively.

Usually, it can be hard to visualise the difference in sensor sizing only by seeing specifications. The photograph here might provide you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-PL3 and ZS100.

To sum up, the 2 cameras feature different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-PL3 due to its bigger sensor will make getting shallow depth of field easier and the Panasonic ZS100 will show greater detail having its extra 8MP. Higher resolution will let you crop pictures way more aggressively. The older E-PL3 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.