Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic ZS3

On this page, we are looking at the Olympus E-PL6 versus Panasonic ZS3, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by companies Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a large gap among the image resolutions of the E-PL6 (16MP) and ZS3 (10MP) and the E-PL6 (Four Thirds) and ZS3 (1/2.3") offer different sensor dimensions.

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The E-PL6 was introduced 5 years after the ZS3 which is a fairly serious difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL6 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic ZS3 being a Compact camera.

Before delving into a thorough comparison, here is a simple summation of how the E-PL6 matches up against the ZS3 for portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

This is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus PEN E-PL6 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3. The whole galleries are viewable at Olympus E-PL6 Gallery & Panasonic ZS3 Gallery.

For anybody who is going to carry around your camera, you need to think about its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-PL6 offers external measurements of 111mm x 64mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") with a weight of 325 grams (0.72 lbs) while the Panasonic ZS3 has proportions of 103mm x 60mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") and a weight of 229 grams (0.50 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-PL6 versus Panasonic ZS3 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you are utilizing at that moment. Below is a front view size comparison of the E-PL6 versus the ZS3.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL6 and ZS3 is 88 and 91 respectively.

Quite often, it is very hard to visualize the difference in sensor sizes merely by checking out specifications. The picture below may provide you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PL6 and ZS3.

To sum up, the 2 cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The E-PL6 using its larger sensor is going to make getting shallower DOF simpler and the Olympus E-PL6 will show greater detail using its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also allow you to crop images a bit more aggressively. The more modern E-PL6 should have an edge in sensor technology.