Olympus PEN-F vs Panasonic ZR3

The following is a detailed comparison of the Olympus PEN-F and Panasonic ZR3, former is a Advanced Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Compact by companies Olympus and Panasonic. There is a sizable difference among the sensor resolutions of the PEN-F (20MP) and ZR3 (14MP) and the PEN-F (Four Thirds) and ZR3 (1/2.3") posses different sensor sizes.

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The PEN-F was released 6 years after the ZR3 which is a fairly significant difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both cameras have different body design with the Olympus PEN-F being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic ZR3 being a Compact camera.

Before diving into a thorough comparison, here is a short highlight of how the PEN-F matches up against the ZR3 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN-F & Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZR3. The complete galleries are provided at Olympus PEN-F Gallery & Panasonic ZR3 Gallery.

If you're intending to travel with your camera, you will want to take into account its weight and measurements. The Olympus PEN-F has physical dimensions of 125mm x 72mm x 37mm (4.9" x 2.8" x 1.5") along with a weight of 427 grams (0.94 lbs) while the Panasonic ZR3 has proportions of 98mm x 55mm x 26mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 1.0") accompanied by a weight of 159 grams (0.35 lbs).

Examine the Olympus PEN-F and Panasonic ZR3 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you select at the time. Underneath is a front view dimension comparison of the PEN-F vs the ZR3.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability rating of the PEN-F and ZR3 is 84 and 94 respectively.

Oftentimes, it is very difficult to imagine the contrast in sensor dimensions merely by viewing technical specs. The image below may give you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the PEN-F and ZR3.

As you can tell, the two cameras have different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The PEN-F because of its larger sensor is going to make achieving shallow depth of field easier and the Olympus PEN-F will provide you with more detail as a result of its extra 6MP. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop photos a bit more aggressively. The more recent PEN-F provides an edge when it comes to sensor technology.