Olympus E-M10 vs Panasonic ZS40

Lets look more closely at the Olympus E-M10 vs Panasonic ZS40, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by brands Olympus and Panasonic. The resolution of the E-M10 (16MP) and the ZS40 (18MP) is very well matched but the E-M10 (Four Thirds) and ZS40 (1/2.3") boast different sensor sizes.

Photography Glossary

The E-M10 was manufactured 3 months after the ZS40 and they are of a similar generation. Both of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-M10 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic ZS40 being a Compact camera.

Before diving right into a in-depth comparison, here is a short summation of how the E-M10 matches up vs the ZS40 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Here is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus OM-D E-M10 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS40. The entire galleries are available at Olympus E-M10 Gallery and Panasonic ZS40 Gallery.

For anybody who is looking to carry around your camera frequently, you will need to consider its weight and size. The Olympus E-M10 enjoys outside dimensions of 119mm x 82mm x 46mm (4.7" x 3.2" x 1.8") and a weight of 396 grams (0.87 lbs) and the Panasonic ZS40 has specifications of 111mm x 64mm x 34mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.3") and a weight of 240 grams (0.53 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-M10 vs Panasonic ZS40 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you have attached at that moment. Underneath is a front view physical size comparison of the E-M10 compared to the ZS40.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability score of the E-M10 and ZS40 is 82 and 90 respectively.

In many cases, its difficult to visualize the gap between sensor sizes simply by checking specs. The pic below will help give you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the E-M10 and ZS40.

All in all, each of the cameras come with different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The E-M10 because of its larger sensor is going to make achieving shallower depth of field easier and the Panasonic ZS40 will give greater detail due to its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop photos a good deal more aggressively.