Olympus E-400 vs Panasonic ZS7

Let's look closer at the Olympus E-400 vs Panasonic ZS7, former being a Entry-Level DSLR while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by brands Olympus and Panasonic. The resolution of the E-400 (10MP) and the ZS7 (12MP) is pretty comparable but the E-400 (Four Thirds) and ZS7 (1/2.3") posses totally different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The E-400 was manufactured 5 years prior to the ZS7 and that is a fairly serious difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-400 being a Compact SLR camera and the Panasonic ZS7 being a Compact camera.

Before going straight to a comprehensive comparison, here is a concise summary of how the E-400 grades vs the ZS7 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus E-400 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7. The entire galleries are provided at Olympus E-400 Gallery & Panasonic ZS7 Gallery.

When you are going to carry your camera frequently, you will want to think about its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-400 features physical dimensions of 130mm x 91mm x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") along with a weight of 435 grams (0.96 lbs) while the Panasonic ZS7 has proportions of 103mm x 60mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") accompanied by a weight of 218 grams (0.48 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-400 vs Panasonic ZS7 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you choose at that moment. The following is a front view over all size comparison of the E-400 compared to the ZS7.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-400 and ZS7 is 77 and 91 respectively.

Normally, its tough to visualise the contrast in sensor sizing purely by checking out technical specs. The photograph below should give you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-400 and ZS7.

As you have seen, the 2 cameras have different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-400 featuring a bigger sensor will make shooting shallow depth of field less difficult and the Panasonic ZS7 will provide extra detail due to its extra 2MP. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop photographs a bit more aggressively. The older E-400 will be behind in sensor innovation.