Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FZ40

The following is a extensive overview of the Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FZ40, former is a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. There is a noticeable difference between the image resolutions of the E-500 (8MP) and FZ40 (14MP) and the E-500 (Four Thirds) and FZ40 (1/2.3") enjoy different sensor sizes.

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The E-500 was manufactured 5 years before the FZ40 which is quite a sizable difference as far as tech is concerned. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-500 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic FZ40 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before diving in to a in-depth comparison, below is a simple synopsis of how the E-500 scores vs the FZ40 for portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus E-500 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ40. The entire galleries are viewable at Olympus E-500 Gallery & Panasonic FZ40 Gallery.

For those who are aiming to travel with your camera regularly, you should consider its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-500 has outer dimensions of 130mm x 95mm x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") along with a weight of 479 grams (1.06 lbs) while the Panasonic FZ40 has dimensions of 120mm x 80mm x 92mm (4.7" x 3.1" x 3.6") having a weight of 494 grams (1.09 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FZ40 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you select at the time. Underneath is the front view overall size comparison of the E-500 versus the FZ40.

Using size and weight, the portability grade of the E-500 and FZ40 is 70 and 68 respectively.

Generally, it is hard to visualize the contrast between sensor dimensions merely by reading through specifications. The pic here will help give you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the E-500 and FZ40.

Plainly, both of those cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The E-500 due to its bigger sensor is going to make getting bokeh simpler and the Panasonic FZ40 will resolve more detail due to its extra 6MP. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop shots somewhat more aggressively. The more aged E-500 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor technology.