Olympus SH-3 vs Panasonic ZS100

Its time to examine more closely at the Olympus SH-3 vs Panasonic ZS100, one being a Small Sensor Superzoom and the other is a Large Sensor Compact by brands Olympus and Panasonic. The image resolution of the SH-3 (16MP) and the ZS100 (20MP) is fairly well matched but the SH-3 (1/2.3") and ZS100 (1") feature different sensor sizes.

Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

The SH-3 was revealed 2 months later than the ZS100 and they are both of a similar generation. Both of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus SH-3 being a Compact camera and the Panasonic ZS100 being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before getting through a comprehensive comparison, below is a short introduction of how the SH-3 scores versus the ZS100 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus Stylus SH-3 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS100. The full galleries are viewable at Olympus SH-3 Gallery and Panasonic ZS100 Gallery.

For anybody who is intending to carry your camera regularly, you should factor its weight and measurements. The Olympus SH-3 comes with outside dimensions of 109mm x 63mm x 42mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.7") with a weight of 271 grams (0.60 lbs) whilst the Panasonic ZS100 has proportions of 111mm x 65mm x 44mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.7") along with a weight of 312 grams (0.69 lbs).

See the Olympus SH-3 vs Panasonic ZS100 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you choose at that time. The following is the front view scale comparison of the SH-3 and the ZS100.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the SH-3 and ZS100 is 88 and 87 respectively.

Typically, its hard to picture the contrast between sensor sizing just by looking at a spec sheet. The graphic here will help give you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the SH-3 and ZS100.

Clearly, each of the cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The SH-3 using its tinier sensor is going to make achieving bokeh more challenging and the Panasonic ZS100 will resolve more detail because of its extra 4MP. Greater resolution will also make it easier to crop pics somewhat more aggressively.