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Olympus PEN-F vs Panasonic ZR3

Portability
84
Imaging
59
Features
79
Overall
67
Olympus PEN-F front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZR3 front
Portability
94
Imaging
37
Features
26
Overall
32

Olympus PEN-F vs Panasonic ZR3 Key Specs

Olympus PEN-F
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 427g - 125 x 72 x 37mm
  • Released January 2016
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
  • Announced January 2010
  • Other Name is Lumix DMC-ZX3
Photography Glossary

Olympus PEN-F vs Panasonic ZR3 Overview

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.

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Reasons to pick Olympus PEN-F over the Panasonic ZR3

 PEN-F ZR3 
AnnouncedJanuary 2016January 2010Newer by 74 months
Focus manually More exact focusing
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Display dimensions3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution1037k230kSharper display (+807k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic ZR3 over the Olympus PEN-F

 ZR3 PEN-F 

Common features in the Olympus PEN-F and Panasonic ZR3

 PEN-F ZR3 

Olympus PEN-F vs Panasonic ZR3 Physical Comparison

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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Olympus PEN-F vs Panasonic ZR3 size comparison

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

Olympus PEN-F vs Panasonic ZR3 top view buttons comparison

Olympus PEN-F vs Panasonic ZR3 Sensor Comparison

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.

Olympus PEN-F vs Panasonic ZR3 sensor size comparison

Olympus PEN-F vs Panasonic ZR3 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus PEN-F vs Panasonic ZR3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus PEN-F Portrait photography factors
Panasonic ZR3 Portrait photography factors
75
you can focus manually
MP count good (20 megapixels)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
includes face detection autofocus
supports RAW formats
28
decent sensor resolution (14 megapixels)
no manual focus
lack of manual exposure
external flash not possible
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
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Street Comparison

Olympus PEN-F Street photography info
Panasonic ZR3 Street photography info
84
fully articulated screen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
supports touch focus
very good high ISO (25,600)
57
image stabilization (Optical)
fixed screen
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Olympus PEN-F as a Sports photography camera
Panasonic ZR3 as a Sports photography camera
67
high shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
quiet mode (1/16,000 seconds)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count good (20MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
includes tracking autofocus
terrible battery pack (330 per charge)
no phase detect autofocus
37
image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (14 megapixels)
has tracking autofocus
max shutter speed is low (1/1,300s)
slow fps (2.0 fps)
no shutter priority mode
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus PEN-F Travel photography highlights
Panasonic ZR3 Travel photography highlights
75
supports touch focus
MP count good (20 megapixels)
selfie friendly screen
terrible battery pack (330 per charge)
65
decent sensor resolution (14MP)
flash built-in
pretty wide (25mm)
doesn't have Time Lapse function
screen is not selfie friendly
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus PEN-F Landscape photography info
Panasonic ZR3 Landscape photography info
76
you can focus manually
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3")
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count good (20 megapixels)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
very good high ISO (25,600)
supports RAW formats
terrible battery pack (330 shots)
37
pretty wide (25mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (14 megapixels)
no manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
small screen (2.7")
lack of manual exposure
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
doesn't have Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus PEN-F Vlogging advice
Panasonic ZR3 Vlogging advice
78
selfie friendly screen
touch screen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
includes face detection autofocus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
does not have external mic port
29
pretty wide (25mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
screen is not selfie friendly
low video resolution (1280 x 720 pixels)
doesn't have external mic support
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Olympus PEN-F vs Panasonic ZR3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus PEN-F and Panasonic ZR3
 Olympus PEN-FPanasonic Lumix DMC-ZR3
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus PEN-F Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZR3
Also Known as - Lumix DMC-ZX3
Class Advanced Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Released 2016-01-27 2010-01-26
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic VII Venus Engine HD II
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 20MP 14MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 5184 x 3888 4320 x 3240
Highest native ISO 25600 6400
Min native ISO 200 80
RAW files
Min enhanced ISO 80 -
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Total focus points 81 11
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 25-200mm (8.0x)
Largest aperture - f/3.3-5.9
Macro focusing distance - 3cm
Number of lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.9
Screen
Type of screen Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3 inches 2.7 inches
Screen resolution 1,037 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 2,360 thousand dots -
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.62x -
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 seconds 60 seconds
Fastest shutter speed 1/8000 seconds 1/1300 seconds
Fastest silent shutter speed 1/16000 seconds -
Continuous shutter rate 10.0 frames per second 2.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 5.30 m
Flash options Flash Auto, Redeye, Fill-in, Flash Off, Red-eye Slow sync (1st curtain), Slow sync (1st curtain), Slow sync (2nd curtain) Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG AVCHD Lite
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 427 gr (0.94 lb) 159 gr (0.35 lb)
Physical dimensions 125 x 72 x 37mm (4.9" x 2.8" x 1.5") 98 x 55 x 26mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 1.0")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 74 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 23.1 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.4 not tested
DXO Low light rating 894 not tested
Other
Battery life 330 photos -
Battery style Battery Pack -
Battery ID BLN-1 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 seconds, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots One One
Pricing at release $1,000 $280