Olympus E-400 vs Panasonic ZS45

Here is a thorough assessment of the Olympus E-400 and Panasonic ZS45, one being a Entry-Level DSLR and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a significant gap between the sensor resolutions of the E-400 (10MP) and ZS45 (16MP) and the E-400 (Four Thirds) and ZS45 (1/2.3") boast totally different sensor sizes.

Photography Glossary

The E-400 was released 9 years earlier than the ZS45 and that is quite a sizable gap as far as technology is concerned. Both of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-400 being a Compact SLR camera and the Panasonic ZS45 being a Compact camera.

Before we go right into a complete comparison, here is a brief introduction of how the E-400 matches up versus the ZS45 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus E-400 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS45. The complete galleries are available at Olympus E-400 Gallery and Panasonic ZS45 Gallery.

If you're going to carry your camera often, you'll need to consider its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-400 offers outside measurements of 130mm x 91mm x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") having a weight of 435 grams (0.96 lbs) while the Panasonic ZS45 has dimensions of 108mm x 60mm x 32mm (4.3" x 2.4" x 1.3") having a weight of 249 grams (0.55 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-400 and Panasonic ZS45 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you are using at the time. The following is a front view measurements comparison of the E-400 against the ZS45.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-400 and ZS45 is 77 and 91 respectively.

Sometimes, it can be tough to see the gap between sensor sizing just by reviewing specifications. The graphic below will provide you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the E-400 and ZS45.

To sum up, the two cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-400 featuring a bigger sensor will make achieving shallow depth of field simpler and the Panasonic ZS45 will offer you more detail as a result of its extra 6MP. Higher resolution will let you crop pictures more aggressively. The older E-400 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.