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Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic ZR3

Portability
88
Imaging
53
Features
77
Overall
62
Olympus PEN E-PL6 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZR3 front
Portability
94
Imaging
36
Features
26
Overall
32

Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic ZR3 Key Specs

Olympus E-PL6
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 325g - 111 x 64 x 38mm
  • Released August 2014
  • Successor is Olympus E-PL7
Panasonic ZR3
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-200mm (F3.3-5.9) lens
  • 159g - 98 x 55 x 26mm
  • Introduced January 2010
  • Additionally referred to as Lumix DMC-ZX3
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Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic ZR3 Overview

Its time to take a deeper look at the Olympus E-PL6 and Panasonic ZR3, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Compact by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. The resolution of the E-PL6 (16MP) and the ZR3 (14MP) is very similar but the E-PL6 (Four Thirds) and ZR3 (1/2.3") possess totally different sensor dimensions.

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The E-PL6 was revealed 4 years after the ZR3 which is quite a significant gap as far as technology is concerned. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL6 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic ZR3 being a Compact camera.

Before getting in to a comprehensive comparison, below is a brief synopsis of how the E-PL6 grades vs the ZR3 for portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL6 over the Panasonic ZR3

 E-PL6 ZR3 
IntroducedAugust 2014January 2010More modern by 55 months
Manually focus Very accurate focus
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display dimension3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution460k230kClearer display (+230k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic ZR3 over the Olympus E-PL6

 ZR3 E-PL6 

Common features in the Olympus E-PL6 and Panasonic ZR3

 E-PL6 ZR3 

Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic ZR3 Physical Comparison

In case you're intending to carry around your camera regularly, you should factor its weight and size. The Olympus E-PL6 provides outer dimensions of 111mm x 64mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") with a weight of 325 grams (0.72 lbs) and the Panasonic ZR3 has specifications of 98mm x 55mm x 26mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 1.0") and a weight of 159 grams (0.35 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-PL6 and Panasonic ZR3 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you have at that moment. The following is the front view sizing comparison of the E-PL6 and the ZR3.

Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic ZR3 size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL6 and ZR3 is 88 and 94 respectively.

Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic ZR3 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic ZR3 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it's difficult to see the contrast between sensor sizes just by reading technical specs. The image below may give you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PL6 and ZR3.

As you can tell, the 2 cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The E-PL6 using its larger sensor will make shooting shallower depth of field simpler and the Olympus E-PL6 will offer you extra detail because of its extra 2MP. Greater resolution will also allow you to crop photos much more aggressively. The fresher E-PL6 is going to have an advantage with regard to sensor technology.

Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic ZR3 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic ZR3 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic ZR3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL6 Portrait photography features
Panasonic ZR3 Portrait photography features
71
has manual focus
good MP (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
supports face detection autofocus
supports RAW files
28
good megapixels (14 megapixels)
focusing manually not possible
manual mode not available
can't use external flash
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL6 Street photography details
Panasonic ZR3 Street photography details
85
has a tilting screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
comes with touch focus
good ISO range (25,600)
56
image stabilization (Optical)
screen does not articulate
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL6 as a Sports photography camera
Panasonic ZR3 as a Sports photography camera
66
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good MP (16MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
supports tracking autofocus
does not have phase detect autofocus
36
image stabilization (Optical)
good megapixels (14MP)
comes with tracking focus
low maximum shutter speed (1/1,300 seconds)
very slow continuous shooting (2.0 frames per second)
lack of shutter priority mode
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL6 Travel photography info
Panasonic ZR3 Travel photography info
85
comes with touch focus
good MP (16 megapixels)
display is selfie friendly
64
good megapixels (14MP)
built-in flash
relatively wide (25mm)
lack of Timelapse recording
does not contain selfie friendly display
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL6 Landscape photography details
Panasonic ZR3 Landscape photography details
80
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a good size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good MP (16MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
good ISO range (25,600)
supports RAW files
37
relatively wide (25mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
good megapixels (14MP)
focusing manually not possible
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
small screen (2.7 inch)
manual mode not available
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
lack of Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL6 Vlogging highlights
Panasonic ZR3 Vlogging highlights
79
display is selfie friendly
has touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
supports face detection autofocus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
doesn't have external mic jack
29
relatively wide (25mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
does not contain selfie friendly display
low quality video (1280 x 720 pixels)
lack of microphone port
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic ZR3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL6 and Panasonic ZR3
 Olympus PEN E-PL6Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZR3
General Information
Company Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus PEN E-PL6 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZR3
Also called as - Lumix DMC-ZX3
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Released 2014-08-01 2010-01-26
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic VI Venus Engine HD II
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 14 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 4608 x 3456 4320 x 3240
Max native ISO 25600 6400
Lowest native ISO 100 80
RAW data
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Total focus points 35 11
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 25-200mm (8.0x)
Maximal aperture - f/3.3-5.9
Macro focusing range - 3cm
Total lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.9
Screen
Range of display Tilting Fixed Type
Display sizing 3" 2.7"
Display resolution 460 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) None
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60s 60s
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/1300s
Continuous shutter speed 8.0 frames per second 2.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 7.00 m (bundled FL-LM1) 5.30 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video data format MPEG-4, Motion JPEG AVCHD Lite
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 325 gr (0.72 lb) 159 gr (0.35 lb)
Dimensions 111 x 64 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") 98 x 55 x 26mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 1.0")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 360 images -
Type of battery Battery Pack -
Battery ID BLS-5 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots 1 1
Price at release $300 $280