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Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic ZS40

Portability
80
Imaging
53
Features
84
Overall
65
Olympus OM-D E-M5 II front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS40 front
Portability
90
Imaging
43
Features
58
Overall
49

Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic ZS40 Key Specs

Olympus E-M5 II
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 469g - 124 x 85 x 45mm
  • Announced February 2015
  • Earlier Model is Olympus E-M5
  • Later Model is Olympus E-M5 III
Panasonic ZS40
(Full Review)
  • 18MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 3200 (Increase 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
  • Other Name is Lumix DMC-TZ60
  • Earlier Model is Panasonic ZS35
  • Replacement is Panasonic ZS45
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Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic ZS40 Overview

Below is a thorough analysis of the Olympus E-M5 II and Panasonic ZS40, former being a Advanced Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by brands Olympus and Panasonic. The image resolution of the E-M5 II (16MP) and the ZS40 (18MP) is fairly similar but the E-M5 II (Four Thirds) and ZS40 (1/2.3") possess totally different sensor sizing.

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The E-M5 II was revealed 14 months later than the ZS40 making the cameras a generation apart from one another. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-M5 II being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic ZS40 being a Compact camera.

Before diving in to a more detailed comparison, below is a short summation of how the E-M5 II matches up vs the ZS40 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 II over the Panasonic ZS40

 E-M5 II ZS40 
IntroducedFebruary 2015January 2014More recent by 14 months
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Display resolution1037k920kCrisper display (+117k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS40 over the Olympus E-M5 II

 ZS40 E-M5 II 

Common features in the Olympus E-M5 II and Panasonic ZS40

 E-M5 II ZS40 
Focus manually Very exact focus
Display dimension3"3"Identical display measurement

Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic ZS40 Physical Comparison

For those who are planning to lug around your camera regularly, you're going to have to factor its weight and size. The Olympus E-M5 II offers outside dimensions of 124mm x 85mm x 45mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 1.8") with a weight of 469 grams (1.03 lbs) and the Panasonic ZS40 has specifications of 111mm x 64mm x 34mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.3") accompanied by a weight of 240 grams (0.53 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-M5 II and Panasonic ZS40 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you are employing at that time. Underneath is the front view scale comparison of the E-M5 II against the ZS40.

Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic ZS40 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-M5 II and ZS40 is 80 and 90 respectively.

Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic ZS40 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic ZS40 Sensor Comparison

Typically, its difficult to see the contrast between sensor measurements only by reading a spec sheet. The visual here will give you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-M5 II and ZS40.

As you can see, both the cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-M5 II with its larger sensor will make getting shallower depth of field less difficult and the Panasonic ZS40 will offer more detail because of its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop images much more aggressively. The more recent E-M5 II is going to have an edge with regard to sensor tech.

Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic ZS40 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic ZS40 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic ZS40 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-M5 II
Portrait photography with Panasonic ZS40
71
you can focus manually
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
features face detect focusing
saves RAW formats
52
has manual focus
megapixel count decent (18 megapixels)
includes face detection autofocus
supports RAW formats
no external flash support
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-M5 II
Street photography with Panasonic ZS40
82
screen articulates fully
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
includes focus via touch
weather sealing
above average ISO range (25,600)
69
image stabilization (Optical)
supports RAW formats
lighter than competition in class (240g)
screen does not articulate
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II as a Sports photography camera
Panasonic ZS40 as a Sports photography camera
65
high shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
silent shooting (1/16,000 seconds)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
features tracking focus
weather sealing
terrible battery (310 per charge)
lack of phase detect AF
54
great zoom range (24-720mm 30.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count decent (18 megapixels)
includes tracking autofocus
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II Travel photography info
Panasonic ZS40 Travel photography info
74
weather sealing
includes focus via touch
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
display is selfie friendly
terrible battery (310 per charge)
69
lighter than competition in class (240g)
megapixel count decent (18MP)
built-in flash
pretty wide (24mm)
long reach (720mm)
missing Timelapse recording
does not feature selfie friendly screen
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II Landscape photography info
Panasonic ZS40 Landscape photography info
74
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice screen size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
above average ISO range (25,600)
saves RAW formats
weather sealing
terrible battery (310 CIPA)
56
has manual focus
pretty wide (24mm)
nice screen size (3")
image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count decent (18 megapixels)
supports RAW formats
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
missing Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II as a Vlogging camera
Panasonic ZS40 as a Vlogging camera
82
display is selfie friendly
touchscreen capability
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
features face detect focusing
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
has microphone socket
34
pretty wide (24mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
includes face detection autofocus
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than competition in class (240 grams)
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
does not feature selfie friendly screen
missing external microphone jack
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Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic ZS40 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M5 II and Panasonic ZS40
 Olympus OM-D E-M5 IIPanasonic Lumix DMC-ZS40
General Information
Brand Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus OM-D E-M5 II Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS40
Also referred to as - Lumix DMC-TZ60
Category Advanced Mirrorless Small Sensor Superzoom
Announced 2015-02-06 2014-01-06
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic VII Venus Engine
Sensor type MOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 18MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4608 x 3456 4896 x 3672
Highest native ISO 25600 3200
Highest enhanced ISO - 6400
Min native ISO 200 100
RAW images
Min enhanced ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Total focus points 81 23
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 24-720mm (30.0x)
Largest aperture - f/3.3-6.4
Macro focusing range - 3cm
Number of lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.8
Screen
Screen type Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Screen size 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 1,037k dot 920k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Screen tech - TFT LCD with AR coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic Electronic
Viewfinder resolution 2,360k dot 200k dot
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.74x -
Features
Min shutter speed 60s 4s
Max shutter speed 1/8000s 1/2000s
Max silent shutter speed 1/16000s -
Continuous shutter speed 10.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 6.40 m
Flash modes Auto, redeye, fill, off, redeye slow sync, slow sync, 2nd-curtain slow sync, manual Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Slow Sync./Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Max flash sync 1/250s -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p), 640 x 480 (30p) 1920 x 1080 (60p/60i/30p), 1280 x 720 (60p/30p), 640 x 480 (30p)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In 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 proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 469g (1.03 lb) 240g (0.53 lb)
Dimensions 124 x 85 x 45mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 1.8") 111 x 64 x 34mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 73 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 23.0 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.4 not tested
DXO Low light rating 896 not tested
Other
Battery life 310 photos 300 photos
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLN-1 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots 1 1
Cost at release $699 $450