Olympus FE-4000 vs Zeiss ZX1

Following is a extended analysis of the Olympus FE-4000 versus Zeiss ZX1, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Large Sensor Compact by rivals Olympus and Zeiss. There exists a substantial gap between the sensor resolutions of the FE-4000 (12MP) and ZX1 (37MP) and the FE-4000 (1/2.3") and ZX1 (Full frame) come with totally different sensor sizes.

Photography Glossary

The FE-4000 was unveiled 10 years earlier than the ZX1 which is quite a big difference as far as technology is concerned. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus FE-4000 being a Compact camera and the Zeiss ZX1 being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before going through a more detailed comparison, below is a brief highlight of how the FE-4000 matches up vs the ZX1 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus FE-4000 & Zeiss ZX1. The full galleries are provided at Olympus FE-4000 Gallery & Zeiss ZX1 Gallery.

If you're going to carry around your camera frequently, you are going to need to consider its weight and size. The Olympus FE-4000 enjoys external measurements of 95mm x 57mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") with a weight of 136 grams (0.30 lbs) and the Zeiss ZX1 has specifications of 142mm x 93mm x 46mm (5.6" x 3.7" x 1.8") accompanied by a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus FE-4000 versus Zeiss ZX1 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you use during that time. Below is the front view sizing comparison of the FE-4000 and the ZX1.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the FE-4000 and ZX1 is 95 and 67 respectively.

Typically, it can be hard to envision the gap between sensor sizes just by reading through a spec sheet. The pic here may offer you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the FE-4000 and ZX1.

As you can see, both of those cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The FE-4000 having a tinier sensor will make getting shallow depth of field harder and the Zeiss ZX1 will give extra detail having an extra 25MP. Greater resolution can also enable you to crop pics much more aggressively. The more aged FE-4000 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.