Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic ZS40

Below is a in-depth overview of the Olympus E-PL1 and Panasonic ZS40, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by companies Olympus and Panasonic. There is a crucial difference among the sensor resolutions of the E-PL1 (12MP) and ZS40 (18MP) and the E-PL1 (Four Thirds) and ZS40 (1/2.3") come with totally different sensor sizes.

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The E-PL1 was manufactured 4 years prior to the ZS40 and that is a fairly serious gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic ZS40 being a Compact camera.

Before going in to a in depth comparison, below is a simple introduction of how the E-PL1 grades against the ZS40 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN E-PL1 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS40. The entire galleries are provided at Olympus E-PL1 Gallery and Panasonic ZS40 Gallery.

If you're aiming to lug around your camera regularly, you'll need to think about its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-PL1 has got outside 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 ZS40 has proportions of 111mm x 64mm x 34mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.3") and a weight of 240 grams (0.53 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-PL1 and Panasonic ZS40 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you have attached during that time. Underneath is the front view dimension comparison of the E-PL1 and the ZS40.

Using size and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL1 and ZS40 is 86 and 90 respectively.

Oftentimes, it is difficult to visualise the difference in sensor measurements only by seeing technical specs. The photograph below may provide you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PL1 and ZS40.

As you can tell, both of the cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-PL1 because of its larger sensor will make shooting shallow DOF simpler and the Panasonic ZS40 will provide extra detail due to its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also help you crop photos somewhat more aggressively. The older E-PL1 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor tech.