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Nikon L840 vs Panasonic FZ40

Portability
67
Imaging
40
Features
48
Overall
43
Nikon Coolpix L840 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ40 front
Portability
68
Imaging
37
Features
40
Overall
38

Nikon L840 vs Panasonic FZ40 Key Specs

Nikon L840
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 23-855mm (F3.0-6.5) lens
  • 538g - 114 x 89 x 96mm
  • Revealed February 2015
  • Superseded the Nikon L830
Panasonic FZ40
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-600mm (F2.8-5.2) lens
  • 494g - 120 x 80 x 92mm
  • Revealed July 2010
  • Also Known as Lumix DMC-FZ45
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Nikon L840 vs Panasonic FZ40 Overview

Lets look more in depth at the Nikon L840 and Panasonic FZ40, both Small Sensor Superzoom cameras by companies Nikon and Panasonic. The resolution of the L840 (16MP) and the FZ40 (14MP) is fairly comparable and both cameras offer the same sensor size (1/2.3").

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The L840 was unveiled 4 years later than the FZ40 and that is a fairly sizable gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of these cameras have the same body design (SLR-like (bridge)).

Before going straight to a step-by-step comparison, here is a quick overview of how the L840 scores vs the FZ40 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Nikon L840 over the Panasonic FZ40

 L840 FZ40 
RevealedFebruary 2015July 2010More recent by 56 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display resolution921k230kClearer display (+691k dot)

Reasons to pick Panasonic FZ40 over the Nikon L840

 FZ40 L840 
Focus manually Very exact focus

Common features in the Nikon L840 and Panasonic FZ40

 L840 FZ40 
Display dimensions3"3"Equal display size
Selfie screen Lack of selfie screen
Touch display Lack of Touch display

Nikon L840 vs Panasonic FZ40 Physical Comparison

When you are looking to lug around your camera frequently, you should think about its weight and size. The Nikon L840 features exterior measurements of 114mm x 89mm x 96mm (4.5" x 3.5" x 3.8") having a weight of 538 grams (1.19 lbs) whilst the Panasonic FZ40 has specifications of 120mm x 80mm x 92mm (4.7" x 3.1" x 3.6") having a weight of 494 grams (1.09 lbs).

Check the Nikon L840 and Panasonic FZ40 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you choose at that time. Here is a front view over all size comparison of the L840 compared to the FZ40.

Nikon L840 vs Panasonic FZ40 size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability score of the L840 and FZ40 is 67 and 68 respectively.

Nikon L840 vs Panasonic FZ40 top view buttons comparison

Nikon L840 vs Panasonic FZ40 Sensor Comparison

Often, its tough to imagine the contrast in sensor measurements purely by seeing technical specs. The photograph here will give you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the L840 and FZ40.

As you can tell, both cameras provide the same sensor dimensions but different MP. You should anticipate the Nikon L840 to provide extra detail having an extra 2MP. Greater resolution can also allow you to crop images more aggressively. The fresher L840 provides a benefit with regard to sensor innovation.

Nikon L840 vs Panasonic FZ40 sensor size comparison

Nikon L840 vs Panasonic FZ40 Screen and ViewFinder

Nikon L840 vs Panasonic FZ40 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Nikon L840 as a Portrait photography camera
Panasonic FZ40 as a Portrait photography camera
35
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
offers face detection autofocus
no manual focus
manual exposure not possible
can't use external flash
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
46
focusing manually
decent megapixels (14MP)
exports RAW formats
cannot use external flash
sensor is small (1/2.3")
Photography Glossary

Street Comparison

Street photography with Nikon L840
Street photography with Panasonic FZ40
51
screen tilts up and down
has image stabilization (Optical)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
more heavy than others (538 grams)
51
image stabilization (Optical)
exports RAW formats
screen does not articulate
sensor is small (1/2.3")
heavier than others in class (494 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Nikon L840
Sports photography with Panasonic FZ40
51
amazing zoom range (23-855mm 37.2 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
offers tracking autofocus
good battery (590 shots)
no shutter priority
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
43
long zoom range (25-600mm 24.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (14MP)
painfully slow continuous shooting (2.0 frames per second)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Nikon L840
Travel photography with Panasonic FZ40
57
good battery (590 CIPA)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
reasonably wide (23mm)
long zoom (855mm)
doesn't have Timelapse function
more heavy than others (538g)
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
slow max aperture (f3.0)
54
decent megapixels (14MP)
built-in flash
rather wide (25mm)
very long reach (600mm)
no Time Lapse mode
heavier than others in class (494 grams)
screen is not selfie friendly
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Nikon L840 Landscape photography details
Panasonic FZ40 Landscape photography details
43
reasonably wide (23mm)
nice screen size (3")
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (16MP)
good battery (590 CIPA)
no manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.0)
manual exposure not possible
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
doesn't have Timelapse function
51
focusing manually
rather wide (25mm)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (14MP)
exports RAW formats
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
no Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Nikon L840 as a Vlogging camera
Panasonic FZ40 as a Vlogging camera
27
reasonably wide (23mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
offers face detection autofocus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
slow max aperture (f3.0)
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
doesn't have external microphone port
more heavy than others (538g)
23
rather wide (25mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
screen is not selfie friendly
video resolution low (1280 x 720 pxls)
no mic support
heavier than others in class (494g)
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Nikon L840 vs Panasonic FZ40 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Nikon L840 and Panasonic FZ40
 Nikon Coolpix L840Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ40
General Information
Manufacturer Nikon Panasonic
Model type Nikon Coolpix L840 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ40
Also called - Lumix DMC-FZ45
Class Small Sensor Superzoom Small Sensor Superzoom
Revealed 2015-02-10 2010-07-21
Physical type SLR-like (bridge) SLR-like (bridge)
Sensor Information
Processor - Venus Engine HD II
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 14MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4608 x 3456 4320 x 3240
Max native ISO 6400 6400
Minimum native ISO 100 80
RAW support
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Cross type focus points - -
Lens
Lens support fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 23-855mm (37.2x) 25-600mm (24.0x)
Maximum aperture f/3.0-6.5 f/2.8-5.2
Macro focusing distance 1cm 1cm
Focal length multiplier 5.8 5.9
Screen
Screen type Tilting Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3 inch 3 inch
Screen resolution 921k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Electronic
Features
Lowest shutter speed 4 seconds 60 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 7.4 frames/s 2.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 6.90 m (at Auto ISO) 9.50 m
Flash settings - Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60i, 50i, 30p, 25p), 1280 x 720 (30p, 25p), 640 x 480 (30p, 25p) 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video file format MPEG-4, H.264 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
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 538 grams (1.19 lb) 494 grams (1.09 lb)
Physical dimensions 114 x 89 x 96mm (4.5" x 3.5" x 3.8") 120 x 80 x 92mm (4.7" x 3.1" x 3.6")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 590 photos -
Type of battery AA -
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10 sec (3 pictures))
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SC/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots Single Single
Launch price $400 $420