Olympus E-M1 III vs Panasonic ZS40

Here is a complete assessment of the Olympus E-M1 III and Panasonic ZS40, former being a Pro Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by companies Olympus and Panasonic. The resolution of the E-M1 III (20MP) and the ZS40 (18MP) is fairly similar but the E-M1 III (Four Thirds) and ZS40 (1/2.3") provide different sensor measurements.

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The E-M1 III was announced 6 years later than the ZS40 and that is quite a sizable difference as far as tech is concerned. The two cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-M1 III being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic ZS40 being a Compact camera.

Before delving right into a more detailed comparison, here is a concise summary of how the E-M1 III matches up versus the ZS40 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Here is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III & Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS40. The whole galleries are viewable at Olympus E-M1 III Gallery & Panasonic ZS40 Gallery.

For anyone who is going to carry your camera frequently, you will want to think about its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-M1 III enjoys external dimensions of 134mm x 91mm x 69mm (5.3" x 3.6" x 2.7") accompanied by a weight of 580 grams (1.28 lbs) and the Panasonic ZS40 has proportions of 111mm x 64mm x 34mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.3") along with a weight of 240 grams (0.53 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-M1 III and Panasonic ZS40 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you use at that time. Following is a front view proportions comparison of the E-M1 III and the ZS40.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability grade of the E-M1 III and ZS40 is 67 and 90 respectively.

Oftentimes, it's hard to visualize the contrast between sensor sizing simply by going over a spec sheet. The graphic here should provide you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-M1 III and ZS40.

Clearly, each of these cameras feature different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The E-M1 III having a larger sensor is going to make achieving shallow depth of field easier and the Olympus E-M1 III will offer more detail with its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also let you crop images way more aggressively. The more recent E-M1 III should have an advantage when it comes to sensor innovation.