Olympus Tough-3000 vs Panasonic ZS100

Below, we will be reviewing the Olympus Tough-3000 and Panasonic ZS100, one being a Waterproof and the latter is a Large Sensor Compact by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a huge gap among the resolutions of the Tough-3000 (12MP) and ZS100 (20MP) and the Tough-3000 (1/2.3") and ZS100 (1") come with totally different sensor sizes.

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The Tough-3000 was unveiled 7 years earlier than the ZS100 and that is a fairly significant gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus Tough-3000 being a Compact camera and the Panasonic ZS100 being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before going in to a in depth comparison, below is a quick summary of how the Tough-3000 grades versus the ZS100 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Here is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus Stylus Tough-3000 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS100. The full galleries are available at Olympus Tough-3000 Gallery and Panasonic ZS100 Gallery.

If you're looking to carry your camera regularly, you'll have to factor its weight and measurements. The Olympus Tough-3000 offers physical measurements of 96mm x 65mm x 23mm (3.8" x 2.6" x 0.9") having a weight of 159 grams (0.35 lbs) and the Panasonic ZS100 has proportions of 111mm x 65mm x 44mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.7") having a weight of 312 grams (0.69 lbs).

Check out the Olympus Tough-3000 and Panasonic ZS100 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you choose at that moment. Below is the front view scale comparison of the Tough-3000 against the ZS100.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the Tough-3000 and ZS100 is 94 and 87 respectively.

Sometimes, it is hard to see the contrast in sensor sizing simply by looking through a spec sheet. The visual below will help give you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the Tough-3000 and ZS100.

Clearly, each of the cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The Tough-3000 using its smaller sensor will make getting shallower DOF tougher and the Panasonic ZS100 will render extra detail having an extra 8 Megapixels. Higher resolution will enable you to crop photographs much more aggressively. The older Tough-3000 will be behind when it comes to sensor innovation.