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Panasonic ZS3 vs Olympus 1 Comparison

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Panasonic ZS3

10 MP | 1/2.33" (6.08 x 4.56 mm) CCD Sensor

Panasonic ZS3
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Olympus 1

12 MP | 1/1.7" (7.44 x 5.58 mm) BSI-CMOS Sensor

Olympus 1
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Panasonic ZS3 vs Olympus 1 Comparison Overview

In this review, we will be comparing ZS3 and 1, two Small Sensor Superzoom cameras from Panasonic and Olympus. Panasonic ZS3 has a 10.0MP 1/2.3-inch sensor whereas Olympus 1 has a 12.0MP 1/1.7-inch sensor. Panasonic ZS3 was introduced to market in May 2009 and Olympus 1 was launched in November 2013. As you can see, ZS3 is 4 years older than 1. Let's see if this age difference between two cameras makes a big difference.

Here is a brief look at the main features of Panasonic ZS3 and Olympus 1 before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Panasonic ZS3 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2009-05-14
  • 10MP - 1/2.3-inch CCD Sensor
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • 25-300 mm F3.3-4.9 Zoom Lens
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 3" Fixed Type Screen
  • 2 fps continuous shooting
  • HD - 1280 x 720 video resolution
  • 229g. 103 x 60 x 33 mm
  • Also known as Lumix DMC-TZ7

Olympus 1 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2013-11-25
  • 12MP - 1/1.7-inch BSI-CMOS Sensor
  • ISO 100 - 12800
  • 28-300 mm F2.8 Zoom Lens
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • 1440k dot Electronic viewfinder
  • 7 fps continuous shooting
  • Full HD - 1920 x 1080 video resolution
  • 240fps High-Speed Video
  • Built-in Wireless
  • 402g. 116 x 87 x 57 mm

Olympus 1 was replaced by Olympus Stylus 1s. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Olympus Stylus 1s vs Olympus Stylus 1
Olympus Stylus 1s vs Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 (Lumix DMC-TZ7)

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Panasonic ZS3 and Olympus 1 compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 over Olympus Stylus 1
Weight
229 g vs 402 g 173 g lighter
Focal Length - Wide
25mm vs 28mm 3 mm wider coverage
Optical Zoom
12× vs 10.7× more flexible focal coverage


Reasons to choose Olympus Stylus 1 over Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3
Wireless Connection
Built-In vs None Better connectivity
LCD Screen
Tilting vs Fixed Type Flexible shooting positions
External Flash Shoe
Yes vs No Better for flash photography
Touch Screen
Yes vs No Easy control of camera functions
Viewfinder
Electronic vs None Better framing and control
RAW Support
Yes vs No Better image quality
Face Detection Focus
Yes vs No very handy for portraits
Max Sensor Resolution
12 MP vs 10 MP 19% more pixels
Max ISO
12.800 vs 6.400 100% higher Max ISO
Number of Focus Points
25 vs 11 14 more focus points
LCD Screen Resolution
1.040k dots vs 460k dots 126% higher resolution screen
Continuous Shooting
7.0fps vs 2.0fps 5 fps faster
Manual Exposure
Yes vs No better exposure control
Max Aperture - Wide
2.80 vs 3.30 faster lens at wide
Max Aperture - Tele
2.80 vs 4.90 faster lens at tele
Sensor Pixel Area
3.52µm2 vs 2.78µm2 26% larger pixel area
Max Video Resolution
1920 x 1080 vs 1280 x 720 Higher Resolution Video
AE Bracketing
Yes vs No Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR

Common Strengths of Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 and Olympus Stylus 1
Image Stabilization
Optical vs Optical Sharper images at longer focal lengths and long exposures
Built-in Flash
Yes vs Yes Useful in low-light
Focal Length - Tele
300mm vs 300mm Very good Telezoom
Common Weaknesses of Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 and Olympus Stylus 1
Environmental Sealing
No vs No not suitable for tough conditions
Panasonic ZS3 vs Olympus 1: Physical Specs and Body features Comparison

Size and weight is a big decision factor when you are trying to find the ideal camera for your needs. In this section, We are going to illustrate Panasonic ZS3 and Olympus 1 side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Panasonic ZS3 has external dimensions of 103 x 60 x 33 mm (4.06 x 2.36 x 1.3″) and weighs 229 g (0.50 lb / 8.08 oz) (including batteries). Olympus 1 has external dimensions of 116 x 87 x 57 mm (4.57 x 3.43 x 2.24″) and weighs 402 g (0.89 lb / 14.18 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Panasonic ZS3 and Olympus 1. Panasonic ZS3 is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 13mm narrower, 27mm shorter and 24mm thinner than Olympus 1.

Panasonic ZS3 vs Olympus 1 Camera Size Comparison - Front View
Comparison image of Panasonic ZS3 and Olympus 1 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Here is the back view size comparison of Panasonic ZS3 and Olympus 1.

Panasonic ZS3 vs Olympus 1 Camera Size Comparison - Back View
Comparison image of Panasonic ZS3 and Olympus 1 Size and Weight - Back View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Panasonic ZS3 and Olympus 1.
Panasonic ZS3 vs Olympus 1 Camera Size Comparison - Top View
Top View Comparison image of Panasonic ZS3 and Olympus 1 Size

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Panasonic ZS3 is significantly lighter (173g ) than the Olympus 1 which may become a big advantage especially on long walking trips.

Weight Comparison

Bridge Cameras

ZS3
1
Min
Average
Max
Thickness Comparison

Bridge Cameras

ZS3
1
Min
Average
Max

Weather Sealing

Unfortunately neither Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 (Lumix DMC-TZ7) nor Olympus Stylus 1 provides any type of weather sealing in their body, so you have to give extra care especially when you are shooting outdoors. If weather sealing is a must-have feature for you, check these sections:
Top Compact Cameras with Weather Sealing
Top Bridge Cameras with Weather Sealing

LCD Screen Size and Features

Panasonic ZS3 and Olympus 1's LCD screens has the same diagonal size of 3".

On the other hand, Olympus 1 features a Tilting screen where you can change the angle of the screen to make it easier to shoot from waist or over the head levels whereas the Panasonic ZS3 has a fixed type screen which provides less flexibility in shooting positions compared to 1.
Panasonic ZS3 vs Olympus 1: Sensor Comparison

Panasonic ZS3 has a 10.0MP 1/2.3-inch (6.08 x 4.56 mm ) sized CCD sensor . On the other hand, Olympus 1 has a 12.0MP 1/1.7-inch (7.44 x 5.58 mm ) sized BSI-CMOS sensor and features TruePic VI processor.

Below you can see the ZS3 and 1 sensor size comparison.

Panasonic ZS3 vs Olympus 1 Sensor Size Comparison
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Panasonic ZS3 and Olympus 1 Cameras


As seen above, Olympus 1 has a 1.5x Larger sensor area than Panasonic ZS3. Larger sensors give photographer more control on the depth of field and blurry background compared to smaller sensor when shot in same focal length and aperture.

Panasonic ZS3 vs Olympus 1 Lens Specs Comparison

Panasonic ZS3 features a 25-300 mm F3.3-4.9 12× zoom lens whereas Olympus 1 features a 28-300 mm F2.8 10.7× zoom lens.

Panasonic ZS3 has 3mm wider coverage than the Olympus 1. On the other hand, with a max aperture of f2.80, Olympus 1 is faster at widest end. Both cameras have a tele angle reach of 300mm. However, with a max aperture of f2.80, Olympus 1 is faster than Panasonic ZS3 at this focal length.

Wide Coverage

Compact Cameras

ZS3
1
Widest - Ricoh WG-M1
Average
Telezoom

DSLR-Like Cameras

ZS3
1
Longest - Canon SX520 HS
Average
Max Aperture at Tele

DSLR-Like Cameras

ZS3
1
Fastest - Ricoh GR Digital IV
Average
Max Aperture at Wide

DSLR-Like Cameras

ZS3
1
Fastest - Leica D-Lux 6
Average
What types of Photography are Panasonic ZS3 and Olympus 1 Good for?
In this section, we rank and compare Panasonic ZS3 and Olympus 1 for five different photography types in order to make your decision process easier in case you are specifically interested in one or more of these areas.

Panasonic ZS3 for Portrait Photography

POOR

Olympus 1 for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE
Image Stabilization
Small 1/2.33" (6.08 x 4.56 mm) sensor
Very Low Resolution Sensor: 10.0MP
No RAW shooting capability
No External Flash Shoe
No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Focus Mode
No Manual Exposure Mode
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details
Image Stabilization
RAW shooting capability
External Flash Shoe
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Manual Focus Mode
Manual Exposure Mode
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
Average Ergonomics&Handling
Small 1/1.7" (7.44 x 5.58 mm) sensor
Read the details

Panasonic ZS3 for Street Photography

AVERAGE

Olympus 1 for Street Photography

GOOD
Image Stabilization
Small Body
Live-view
25 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Small 1/2.33" (6.08 x 4.56 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Focus Mode
Read the details
Image Stabilization
RAW shooting capability
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Manual Focus Mode
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Tilting LCD Screen
Fast Lens at Wide: f2.80
28 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Medium sized Body
Small 1/1.7" (7.44 x 5.58 mm) sensor
Read the details

Panasonic ZS3 for Sports Photography

POOR

Olympus 1 for Sports Photography

AVERAGE
Image Stabilization
11 Focus Points
300 mm Tele Lens
Average Max shutter speed: 1/2000s
No RAW shooting capability
No External Flash Shoe
No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Focus Mode
No Manual Exposure Mode
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Slow Continuous Shooting: 2.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Read the details
Image Stabilization
RAW shooting capability
External Flash Shoe
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Manual Focus Mode
Manual Exposure Mode
Fast Continuous Shooting: 7.0fps
25 Focus Points
Wireless Connection
300 mm Tele Lens
Fast Lens at Tele: f2.80
Average Ergonomics&Handling
Average Max shutter speed: 1/2000s
Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Panasonic ZS3 for Daily Photography

GOOD

Olympus 1 for Daily Photography

GOOD
Compact Body
229g
12.0X Optical Zoom
Small 1/2.33" (6.08 x 4.56 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
Read the details
RAW shooting capability
10.7X Optical Zoom
Medium size Body
Small 1/1.7" (7.44 x 5.58 mm) sensor
402g
Body Thickness 57mm
Read the details

Panasonic ZS3 for Landscape Photography

POOR

Olympus 1 for Landscape Photography

POOR
25 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Small 1/2.33" (6.08 x 4.56 mm) sensor
Very Low Resolution Sensor: 10.0MP
No RAW shooting capability
No Manual Focus Mode
No Manual Exposure Mode
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details
Manual Focus Mode
Manual Exposure Mode
28 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
Small 1/1.7" (7.44 x 5.58 mm) sensor
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Panasonic ZS3 vs Olympus 1: OUR DECISION

You may have already made your decision about which camera suits better for your needs and your budget so far but in case you wonder how we rated Panasonic ZS3 and Olympus 1, below you can find their scores in five different aspects. Our Decision Algorithm dynamically scores cameras using 63 different specs, current price and DxO Mark scores (where possible) in order to make a more objective and consistent comparison.

Here is a summary of how Panasonic ZS3 and Olympus 1 scores compare:

Panasonic ZS3
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #342 out of 475 in Compact cameras
Ranked #996 out of 1223 in all Cameras
Olympus 1
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #14 out of 113 in SLR-like (bridge) cameras
Ranked #281 out of 1223 in all Cameras

Olympus 1 is the overall winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Panasonic ZS3 in all criteria except one: Portability.
If small size and light body is a big priority for you, choose Panasonic ZS3. Otherwise, Olympus 1 is the better camera overall.

Panasonic ZS3
Panasonic ZS3
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Olympus 1
Olympus 1
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Olympus 1 vs Panasonic ZS3 Specs Table
Detailed comparison of specifications
General Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 Olympus Stylus 1
Brand Panasonic Olympus
Announced 2009-05-14 2013-11-25
Body Type Compact SLR-like (bridge)
Sensor
Type CCD BSI-CMOS
Size 1/2.3-inch 1/1.7-inch
Dimensions 6.08 x 4.56 mm 7.44 x 5.58 mm
Area 27.72mm2 41.52mm2
Megapixels 10 megapixels 12 megapixels
Max Resolution 3648 x 2736 3968 x 2976
Max Native Light sensitivity 6,400 ISO 12,800 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity 80 ISO 100 ISO
RAW Support
Autofocus
AF Touch
AF Continuous
AF Single
AF Tracking
AF Selective
AF Center
AF Multi Area
AF Live View
AF Face Detection
AF Contrast Detection
AF Phase Detection
Number of Focus Points 11 25
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount fixed lens fixed lens
Lens Focal Range 25-300 mm (12×) 28-300 mm (10.7×)
Max Aperture F3.3-4.9 F2.8
Macro Focus Range 3cm 5cm
Screen
Type Fixed type Tilting
Size 3" 3"
Resolution 460k dots 1,040k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder None Electronic
Viewfinder Resolution no electronic viewfinder 1,440k dots
Viewfinder Coverage n/a 100%
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter 1/2000s 1/2000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization Optical Optical
Built-in Flash
Flash Range 5.30 m (Auto ISO) n/a
Max Flash Sync n/a 1/2000s
External Flash
Continuous Shooting 2.0 fps 7.0 fps
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution 1280 x 720 1920 x 1080
Video Formats AVCHD Lite MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity None Built-In
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight 229g 402g
Dimensions 103 x 60 x 33mm 116 x 87 x 57mm
Battery Life n/a 410 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS None None
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score not tested 51
DxO Color Depth not tested 20.7
DxO Dynamic Range not tested 11.6
DxO Low Light ISO not tested 179
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