Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic LZ40

Let's examine more in depth at the Olympus E-PL1 and Panasonic LZ40, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by brands Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a noticeable gap among the resolutions of the E-PL1 (12MP) and LZ40 (20MP) and the E-PL1 (Four Thirds) and LZ40 (1/2.3") come with different sensor sizes.

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The E-PL1 was introduced 4 years prior to the LZ40 which is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic LZ40 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before diving through a complete comparison, below is a short highlight of how the E-PL1 scores vs the LZ40 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Here is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus PEN E-PL1 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ40. The whole galleries are available at Olympus E-PL1 Gallery & Panasonic LZ40 Gallery.

When you are looking to carry around your camera regularly, you'll have to think about its weight and volume. The Olympus E-PL1 has external dimensions of 115mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") having a weight of 334 grams (0.74 lbs) and the Panasonic LZ40 has sizing of 126mm x 87mm x 94mm (5.0" x 3.4" x 3.7") having a weight of 524 grams (1.16 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-PL1 and Panasonic LZ40 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you have at that time. Following is the front view sizing comparison of the E-PL1 versus the LZ40.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL1 and LZ40 is 86 and 67 respectively.

Quite often, it's hard to visualize the gap in sensor sizes just by looking through technical specs. The pic here might give you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL1 and LZ40.

As you have seen, both of those cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The E-PL1 having a bigger sensor is going to make getting bokeh easier and the Panasonic LZ40 will render more detail using its extra 8MP. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop shots much more aggressively. The more aged E-PL1 will be behind when it comes to sensor innovation.