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Olympus E-300 vs Panasonic ZS40

Portability
67
Imaging
41
Features
31
Overall
37
Olympus E-300 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS40 front
Portability
90
Imaging
43
Features
58
Overall
49

Olympus E-300 vs Panasonic ZS40 Key Specs

Olympus E-300
(Full Review)
  • 8MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 1.8" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 400 (Expand to 1600)
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 624g - 147 x 85 x 64mm
  • Announced January 2005
  • Additionally Known as EVOLT E-300
  • Newer Model is Olympus E-330
Panasonic ZS40
(Full Review)
  • 18MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 3200 (Bump to 6400)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-720mm (F3.3-6.4) lens
  • 240g - 111 x 64 x 34mm
  • Introduced January 2014
  • Also referred to as Lumix DMC-TZ60
  • Old Model is Panasonic ZS35
  • Replacement is Panasonic ZS45
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Olympus E-300 vs Panasonic ZS40 Overview

Its time to look closer at the Olympus E-300 and Panasonic ZS40, one is a Advanced DSLR and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by companies Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a big gap between the resolutions of the E-300 (8MP) and ZS40 (18MP) and the E-300 (Four Thirds) and ZS40 (1/2.3") offer totally different sensor sizing.

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The E-300 was unveiled 10 years prior to the ZS40 which is quite a big gap as far as technology is concerned. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-300 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic ZS40 being a Compact camera.

Before diving straight to a more detailed comparison, here is a simple introduction of how the E-300 matches up vs the ZS40 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-300 over the Panasonic ZS40

 E-300 ZS40 

Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS40 over the Olympus E-300

 ZS40 E-300 
IntroducedJanuary 2014January 2005More modern by 109 months
Display dimensions3"1.8"Larger display (+1.2")
Display resolution920k134kCrisper display (+786k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-300 and Panasonic ZS40

 E-300 ZS40 
Manually focus Dial precise focus
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Neither offers selfie screen
Touch display Neither offers Touch display

Olympus E-300 vs Panasonic ZS40 Physical Comparison

In case you're planning to carry around your camera regularly, you should take into account its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-300 offers outer measurements of 147mm x 85mm x 64mm (5.8" x 3.3" x 2.5") with a weight of 624 grams (1.38 lbs) and the Panasonic ZS40 has dimensions of 111mm x 64mm x 34mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.3") and a weight of 240 grams (0.53 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-300 and Panasonic ZS40 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you are utilising during that time. Here is a front view sizing comparison of the E-300 and the ZS40.

Olympus E-300 vs Panasonic ZS40 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-300 and ZS40 is 67 and 90 respectively.

Olympus E-300 vs Panasonic ZS40 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-300 vs Panasonic ZS40 Sensor Comparison

Typically, it can be tough to envision the difference between sensor sizes purely by reading through technical specs. The pic below should offer you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-300 and ZS40.

As you can tell, the two cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The E-300 having a larger sensor will make shooting shallow depth of field simpler and the Panasonic ZS40 will give you extra detail having an extra 10 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop photos more aggressively. The more aged E-300 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor tech.

Olympus E-300 vs Panasonic ZS40 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-300 vs Panasonic ZS40 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-300 vs Panasonic ZS40 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-300 Portrait photography information
Panasonic ZS40 Portrait photography information
48
has manual focus
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
doesn't have liveview
MP count low (8MP)
52
manual focus
good MP (18MP)
has face detect focus
delivers RAW formats
can't use external flash
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
Photography Glossary

Street Comparison

Olympus E-300 Street photography highlights
Panasonic ZS40 Street photography highlights
51
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
fixed screen
lack of image stabilization
low maximum ISO (400)
69
image stabilization (Optical)
delivers RAW formats
lighter than competition in class (240g)
fixed screen
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-300
Sports photography with Panasonic ZS40
37
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
comes with phase detect AF
doesn't have liveview
slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames per second)
lack of image stabilization
MP count low (8MP)
54
excellent zoom range (24-720mm 30.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Optical)
good MP (18MP)
has tracking focus
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-300 Travel photography features
Panasonic ZS40 Travel photography features
45
built-in flash
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
MP count low (8MP)
doesn't offer selfie friendly display
69
lighter than competition in class (240g)
good MP (18 megapixels)
flash built-in
fairly wide (24mm)
great reach (720mm)
does not have Timelapse recording
does not posses selfie friendly display
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-300 Landscape photography info
Panasonic ZS40 Landscape photography info
43
has manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
tiny screen (1.8 inches)
doesn't have liveview
lack of image stabilization
MP count low (8MP)
low maximum ISO (400)
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
56
manual focus
fairly wide (24mm)
nice screen size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Optical)
good MP (18 megapixels)
delivers RAW formats
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-300 Vlogging info
Panasonic ZS40 Vlogging info
9
no video shooting
34
fairly wide (24mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
has face detect focus
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than competition in class (240 grams)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
does not posses selfie friendly display
does not have microphone socket
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Olympus E-300 vs Panasonic ZS40 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-300 and Panasonic ZS40
 Olympus E-300Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS40
General Information
Make Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus E-300 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS40
Alternate name EVOLT E-300 Lumix DMC-TZ60
Class Advanced DSLR Small Sensor Superzoom
Announced 2005-01-10 2014-01-06
Physical type Mid-size SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip - Venus Engine
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 8 megapixel 18 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 3264 x 2448 4896 x 3672
Highest native ISO 400 3200
Highest enhanced ISO 1600 6400
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW support
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points 3 23
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 24-720mm (30.0x)
Largest aperture - f/3.3-6.4
Macro focusing distance - 3cm
Total lenses 45 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.8
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display size 1.8 inch 3 inch
Display resolution 134 thousand dots 920 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Display tech - TFT LCD with AR coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentamirror) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 200 thousand dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60s 4s
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/2000s
Continuous shutter rate 3.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance - 6.40 m
Flash modes Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Slow Sync./Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize 1/180s -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60p/60i/30p), 1280 x 720 (60p/30p), 640 x 480 (30p)
Highest video resolution None 1920x1080
Video format - MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 1.0 (1.5 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 624 grams (1.38 lb) 240 grams (0.53 lb)
Physical dimensions 147 x 85 x 64mm (5.8" x 3.3" x 2.5") 111 x 64 x 34mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall 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 - 300 images
Style of battery - Battery Pack
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II) SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots 1 1
Retail pricing $800 $450