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Olympus E-300 vs Panasonic FZ40

Portability
67
Imaging
41
Features
31
Overall
37
Olympus E-300 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ40 front
Portability
68
Imaging
37
Features
40
Overall
38

Olympus E-300 vs Panasonic FZ40 Key Specs

Olympus E-300
(Full Review)
  • 8MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 1.8" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 400 (Bump to 1600)
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 624g - 147 x 85 x 64mm
  • Revealed January 2005
  • Alternate Name is EVOLT E-300
  • Replacement is Olympus E-330
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
  • Alternate Name is Lumix DMC-FZ45
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Olympus E-300 vs Panasonic FZ40 Overview

Its time to look a little more in depth at the Olympus E-300 versus Panasonic FZ40, former being a Advanced DSLR while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a considerable gap among the resolutions of the E-300 (8MP) and FZ40 (14MP) and the E-300 (Four Thirds) and FZ40 (1/2.3") use different sensor sizing.

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The E-300 was unveiled 6 years prior to the FZ40 and that is a fairly large difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-300 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic FZ40 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before going through a full comparison, below is a quick overview of how the E-300 scores against the FZ40 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-300 over the Panasonic FZ40

 E-300 FZ40 

Reasons to pick Panasonic FZ40 over the Olympus E-300

 FZ40 E-300 
RevealedJuly 2010January 2005Fresher by 67 months
Display dimension3"1.8"Larger display (+1.2")
Display resolution230k134kSharper display (+96k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-300 and Panasonic FZ40

 E-300 FZ40 
Focus manually Very exact focus
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen
Touch display Missing Touch display

Olympus E-300 vs Panasonic FZ40 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is going to carry your camera, you'll need to consider its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-300 has got external dimensions of 147mm x 85mm x 64mm (5.8" x 3.3" x 2.5") and a weight of 624 grams (1.38 lbs) while the Panasonic FZ40 has dimensions of 120mm x 80mm x 92mm (4.7" x 3.1" x 3.6") accompanied by a weight of 494 grams (1.09 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-300 versus Panasonic FZ40 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you are using at the time. Here is the front view scale comparison of the E-300 against the FZ40.

Olympus E-300 vs Panasonic FZ40 size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-300 and FZ40 is 67 and 68 respectively.

Olympus E-300 vs Panasonic FZ40 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-300 vs Panasonic FZ40 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, its tough to imagine the contrast in sensor sizing only by researching technical specs. The photograph below should offer you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-300 and FZ40.

As you have seen, the 2 cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-300 having a larger sensor is going to make shooting shallower DOF simpler and the Panasonic FZ40 will provide you with more detail having an extra 6MP. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop photos somewhat more aggressively. The older E-300 will be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.

Olympus E-300 vs Panasonic FZ40 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-300 vs Panasonic FZ40 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-300 vs Panasonic FZ40 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-300 Portrait photography information
Panasonic FZ40 Portrait photography information
48
focusing manually
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
does not have liveview
sensor resolution not great (8MP)
46
focusing manually
MP count good (14 megapixels)
saves RAW files
can't use external flash
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-300 Street photography details
Panasonic FZ40 Street photography details
51
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
fixed screen
does not have image stabilization
low maximum ISO (400)
51
image stabilization (Optical)
saves RAW files
screen is fixed
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
heavier than average in class (494g)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-300 as a Sports photography camera
Panasonic FZ40 as a Sports photography camera
37
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
has phase detect autofocus
does not have liveview
slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames per second)
does not have image stabilization
sensor resolution not great (8 megapixels)
43
incredible zoom range (25-600mm 24.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Optical)
MP count good (14 megapixels)
max frames per second low (2.0 frames/s)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-300 Travel photography details
Panasonic FZ40 Travel photography details
45
has built in flash
missing Timelapse recording
sensor resolution not great (8MP)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
54
MP count good (14 megapixels)
built-in flash
quite wide (25mm)
very long zoom (600mm)
missing Time Lapse function
heavier than average in class (494g)
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-300 Landscape photography info
Panasonic FZ40 Landscape photography info
43
focusing manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
screen is somewhat small (1.8 inch)
does not have liveview
does not have image stabilization
sensor resolution not great (8 megapixels)
low maximum ISO (400)
missing Timelapse recording
51
focusing manually
quite wide (25mm)
screen size is good (3")
image stabilization (Optical)
MP count good (14MP)
saves RAW files
cannot switch lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
missing Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-300 Vlogging advice
Panasonic FZ40 Vlogging advice
9
no video shooting
23
quite wide (25mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
video resolution low (1280 x 720 pxls)
missing external mic jack
heavier than average in class (494 grams)
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Olympus E-300 vs Panasonic FZ40 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-300 and Panasonic FZ40
 Olympus E-300Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ40
General Information
Brand Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus E-300 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ40
Otherwise known as EVOLT E-300 Lumix DMC-FZ45
Type Advanced DSLR Small Sensor Superzoom
Revealed 2005-01-10 2010-07-21
Body design Mid-size SLR SLR-like (bridge)
Sensor Information
Chip - Venus Engine HD II
Sensor type CCD CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 8 megapixels 14 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 3264 x 2448 4320 x 3240
Highest native ISO 400 6400
Highest boosted ISO 1600 -
Minimum native ISO 100 80
RAW support
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Number of focus points 3 -
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 25-600mm (24.0x)
Largest aperture - f/2.8-5.2
Macro focus distance - 1cm
Amount of lenses 45 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.9
Screen
Range of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display size 1.8 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 134 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentamirror) Electronic
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 seconds 60 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 3.0 frames/s 2.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range - 9.50 m
Flash options Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash sync 1/180 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 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)
Highest video resolution None 1280x720
Video file format - AVCHD Lite
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 1.0 (1.5 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 624 grams (1.38 lb) 494 grams (1.09 lb)
Dimensions 147 x 85 x 64mm (5.8" x 3.3" x 2.5") 120 x 80 x 92mm (4.7" x 3.1" x 3.6")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10 sec (3 pictures))
Time lapse recording
Storage media Compact Flash (Type I or II) SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots 1 1
Retail price $800 $420