Olympus SP-100 vs Panasonic GF3

Its time to look a little more closely at the Olympus SP-100 and Panasonic GF3, one being a Small Sensor Superzoom and the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a sizeable gap between the sensor resolutions of the SP-100 (16MP) and GF3 (12MP) and the SP-100 (1/2.3") and GF3 (Four Thirds) boast totally different sensor size.

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The SP-100 was manufactured 2 years later than the GF3 and that is quite a large gap as far as technology is concerned. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus SP-100 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Panasonic GF3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before delving into a in-depth comparison, here is a short overview of how the SP-100 matches up against the GF3 for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus Stylus SP-100 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3. The entire galleries are provided at Olympus SP-100 Gallery and Panasonic GF3 Gallery.

For anyone who is going to lug around your camera often, you'll need to consider its weight and volume. The Olympus SP-100 offers external measurements of 122mm x 91mm x 133mm (4.8" x 3.6" x 5.2") accompanied by a weight of 594 grams (1.31 lbs) whilst the Panasonic GF3 has sizing of 108mm x 67mm x 32mm (4.3" x 2.6" x 1.3") with a weight of 264 grams (0.58 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus SP-100 and Panasonic GF3 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you are using at the time. Below is a front view measurement comparison of the SP-100 vs the GF3.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability score of the SP-100 and GF3 is 63 and 90 respectively.

More often than not, it is tough to see the contrast between sensor measurements merely by reading a spec sheet. The graphic here should give you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the SP-100 and GF3.

As you can see, both of those cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The SP-100 because of its tinier sensor will make getting shallow DOF more challenging and the Olympus SP-100 will deliver greater detail due to its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also let you crop pics more aggressively. The fresher SP-100 is going to have an edge with regard to sensor innovation.