Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic ZS40
77 Imaging
44 Features
36 Overall
40
90 Imaging
42 Features
58 Overall
48
Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic ZS40 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 10MP - Four Thirds Sensor
- 2.7" Fixed Display
- ISO 100 - 1600
- No Video
- Micro Four Thirds Mount
- 426g - 130 x 91 x 53mm
- Released June 2008
- Previous Model is Olympus E-410
(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
- Alternative Name is Lumix DMC-TZ60
- Old Model is Panasonic ZS35
- Renewed by Panasonic ZS45
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic ZS40 Overview
Here, we are reviewing the Olympus E-420 and Panasonic ZS40, former is a Entry-Level DSLR while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a sizable gap between the sensor resolutions of the E-420 (10MP) and ZS40 (18MP) and the E-420 (Four Thirds) and ZS40 (1/2.3") boast totally different sensor measurements.
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created ImagesThe E-420 was manufactured 6 years prior to the ZS40 which is quite a significant difference as far as technology is concerned. Both cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-420 being a Compact SLR camera and the Panasonic ZS40 being a Compact camera.
Before getting straight to a in depth comparison, here is a simple summary of how the E-420 grades against the ZS40 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.
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Following is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus E-420 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS40. The entire galleries are available at Olympus E-420 Gallery & Panasonic ZS40 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-420 over the Panasonic ZS40
| E-420 | ZS40 |
|---|
Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS40 over the Olympus E-420
| ZS40 | E-420 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Introduced | January 2014 | June 2008 | More modern by 67 months | |
| Display size | 3" | 2.7" | Larger display (+0.3") | |
| Display resolution | 920k | 230k | Sharper display (+690k dot) |
Common features in the Olympus E-420 and Panasonic ZS40
| E-420 | ZS40 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manual focus | Dial exact focusing | |||
| Display type | Fixed | Fixed | Fixed display | |
| Selfie screen | Missing selfie screen | |||
| Touch display | Missing Touch display |
Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic ZS40 Physical Comparison
In case you're intending to carry around your camera regularly, you'll need to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-420 has got outer dimensions of 130mm x 91mm x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") with a weight of 426 grams (0.94 lbs) and the Panasonic ZS40 has dimensions of 111mm x 64mm x 34mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.3") along with a weight of 240 grams (0.53 lbs).
Compare the Olympus E-420 and Panasonic ZS40 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you are utilizing at that moment. Following is a front view over all size comparison of the E-420 versus the ZS40.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-420 and ZS40 is 77 and 90 respectively.
Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic ZS40 Sensor Comparison
Normally, it's hard to envision the gap between sensor sizes merely by looking at technical specs. The image below will help offer you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the E-420 and ZS40.
As you have seen, both of the cameras feature different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The E-420 featuring a larger sensor will make achieving shallower depth of field less difficult and the Panasonic ZS40 will give you more detail due to its extra 8 Megapixels. Greater resolution will help you crop images way more aggressively. The more aged E-420 is going to be behind with regard to sensor innovation.
Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic ZS40 Screen and ViewFinder
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Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic ZS40 Specifications
| Olympus E-420 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS40 | |
|---|---|---|
| General Information | ||
| Brand Name | Olympus | Panasonic |
| Model | Olympus E-420 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS40 |
| Also referred to as | - | Lumix DMC-TZ60 |
| Category | Entry-Level DSLR | Small Sensor Superzoom |
| Released | 2008-06-23 | 2014-01-06 |
| Body design | Compact SLR | Compact |
| Sensor Information | ||
| Processor Chip | TruePic III | Venus Engine |
| Sensor type | CMOS | 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 | 10MP | 18MP |
| Anti aliasing filter | ||
| Aspect ratio | 4:3 | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 |
| Max resolution | 3648 x 2736 | 4896 x 3672 |
| Max native ISO | 1600 | 3200 |
| Max enhanced ISO | - | 6400 |
| Min native ISO | 100 | 100 |
| RAW data | ||
| Autofocusing | ||
| Focus manually | ||
| Touch focus | ||
| AF continuous | ||
| Single AF | ||
| Tracking AF | ||
| AF selectice | ||
| AF center weighted | ||
| Multi area AF | ||
| Live view AF | ||
| Face detect focusing | ||
| Contract detect focusing | ||
| Phase detect focusing | ||
| Number of focus points | 3 | 23 |
| Lens | ||
| Lens mount | Micro Four Thirds | fixed lens |
| Lens focal range | - | 24-720mm (30.0x) |
| Maximum aperture | - | f/3.3-6.4 |
| Macro focus range | - | 3cm |
| Total lenses | 45 | - |
| Crop factor | 2.1 | 5.8 |
| Screen | ||
| Display type | Fixed Type | Fixed Type |
| Display sizing | 2.7" | 3" |
| Resolution of display | 230k dot | 920k dot |
| Selfie friendly | ||
| Liveview | ||
| Touch display | ||
| Display tech | - | TFT LCD with AR coating |
| Viewfinder Information | ||
| Viewfinder | Optical (pentamirror) | Electronic |
| Viewfinder resolution | - | 200k dot |
| Viewfinder coverage | 95 percent | 100 percent |
| Viewfinder magnification | 0.46x | - |
| Features | ||
| Min shutter speed | 60 secs | 4 secs |
| Max shutter speed | 1/4000 secs | 1/2000 secs |
| Continuous shutter speed | 4.0fps | 10.0fps |
| Shutter priority | ||
| Aperture priority | ||
| Manual exposure | ||
| Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
| Custom WB | ||
| Image stabilization | ||
| Built-in flash | ||
| Flash range | 12.00 m (at ISO 100) | 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 |
| Hot shoe | ||
| Auto exposure bracketing | ||
| WB bracketing | ||
| Max flash sync | 1/180 secs | - |
| Exposure | ||
| Multisegment exposure | ||
| Average exposure | ||
| Spot exposure | ||
| Partial exposure | ||
| AF area exposure | ||
| Center weighted exposure | ||
| Video features | ||
| Video resolutions | - | 1920 x 1080 (60p/60i/30p), 1280 x 720 (60p/30p), 640 x 480 (30p) |
| Max video resolution | None | 1920x1080 |
| Video format | - | MPEG-4, AVCHD |
| Microphone input | ||
| Headphone input | ||
| Connectivity | ||
| Wireless | None | Built-In |
| Bluetooth | ||
| NFC | ||
| HDMI | ||
| USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
| GPS | None | BuiltIn |
| Physical | ||
| Environment seal | ||
| Water proof | ||
| Dust proof | ||
| Shock proof | ||
| Crush proof | ||
| Freeze proof | ||
| Weight | 426 gr (0.94 lbs) | 240 gr (0.53 lbs) |
| Physical dimensions | 130 x 91 x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") | 111 x 64 x 34mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.3") |
| DXO scores | ||
| DXO Overall score | 56 | not tested |
| DXO Color Depth score | 21.5 | not tested |
| DXO Dynamic range score | 10.4 | not tested |
| DXO Low light score | 527 | not tested |
| Other | ||
| Battery life | 500 images | 300 images |
| Style of battery | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
| Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes (2 or 10 sec) |
| Time lapse recording | ||
| Type of storage | Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card | SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal |
| Storage slots | One | One |
| Cost at release | $999 | $450 |