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Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic ZS40

Portability
88
Imaging
48
Features
52
Overall
49
Olympus PEN E-PL3 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS40 front
Portability
90
Imaging
43
Features
58
Overall
49

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic ZS40 Key Specs

Olympus E-PL3
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 200 - 12800
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 313g - 110 x 64 x 37mm
  • Announced September 2011
  • Earlier Model is Olympus E-PL2
Panasonic ZS40
(Full Review)
  • 18MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 3200 (Expand to 6400)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-720mm (F3.3-6.4) lens
  • 240g - 111 x 64 x 34mm
  • Launched January 2014
  • Alternative Name is Lumix DMC-TZ60
  • Superseded the Panasonic ZS35
  • Later Model is Panasonic ZS45
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Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic ZS40 Overview

Here is a extensive analysis of the Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic ZS40, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. There is a significant difference among the image resolutions of the E-PL3 (12MP) and ZS40 (18MP) and the E-PL3 (Four Thirds) and ZS40 (1/2.3") come with different sensor size.

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The E-PL3 was released 3 years before the ZS40 and that is a fairly sizable gap as far as camera tech is concerned. The two cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL3 being a Rangefinder-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-PL3 scores versus the ZS40 for portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL3 over the Panasonic ZS40

 E-PL3 ZS40 
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display

Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS40 over the Olympus E-PL3

 ZS40 E-PL3 
LaunchedJanuary 2014September 2011Fresher by 27 months
Display resolution920k460kSharper display (+460k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-PL3 and Panasonic ZS40

 E-PL3 ZS40 
Focus manually Dial accurate focusing
Display dimension3"3"Identical display size
Selfie screen Absent selfie screen
Touch friendly display Neither offers Touch friendly display

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic ZS40 Physical Comparison

In case you're looking to carry your camera, you should consider its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-PL3 offers external dimensions of 110mm x 64mm x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") and a weight of 313 grams (0.69 lbs) while the Panasonic ZS40 has measurements 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-PL3 vs Panasonic ZS40 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you have attached at that moment. Here is the front view physical size comparison of the E-PL3 against the ZS40.

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic ZS40 size comparison

Considering size and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL3 and ZS40 is 88 and 90 respectively.

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic ZS40 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic ZS40 Sensor Comparison

Usually, it can be difficult to visualize the gap in sensor sizing purely by viewing a spec sheet. The visual below may give you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PL3 and ZS40.

Clearly, both of the cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The E-PL3 because of its larger sensor is going to make shooting shallow DOF simpler and the Panasonic ZS40 will provide you with more detail as a result of its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop images somewhat more aggressively. The older E-PL3 will be behind when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic ZS40 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic ZS40 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic ZS40 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Portrait photography advice
Panasonic ZS40 Portrait photography advice
60
has manual focus
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
includes face detection autofocus
delivers RAW formats
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
52
manual focus
megapixel count good (18 megapixels)
provides face detect focusing
exports RAW formats
cannot use external flash
small sensor (1/2.3")
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Street photography highlights
Panasonic ZS40 Street photography highlights
84
screen tilts up and down
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
69
image stabilization (Optical)
exports RAW formats
lighter than competition (240 grams)
no moving screen
small sensor (1/2.3")
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-PL3
Sports photography with Panasonic ZS40
45
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
includes tracking autofocus
max fps very slow (6.0 frames per second)
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
terrible battery life (300 CIPA)
does not have phase detect autofocus
54
great zoom range (24-720mm 30.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count good (18MP)
provides tracking focus
small sensor (1/2.3")
has no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Travel photography highlights
Panasonic ZS40 Travel photography highlights
44
no Time Lapse function
terrible battery life (300 CIPA)
low megapixels (12MP)
does not have a selfie friendly screen
69
lighter than competition (240g)
megapixel count good (18MP)
has built in flash
quite wide (24mm)
very long reach (720mm)
lack of Timelapse mode
display is not selfie friendly
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 Landscape photography info
Panasonic ZS40 Landscape photography info
61
has manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
low megapixels (12MP)
terrible battery life (300 per charge)
no Time Lapse function
56
manual focus
quite wide (24mm)
nice screen size (3")
image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count good (18MP)
exports RAW formats
can't switch lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL3 as a Vlogging camera
Panasonic ZS40 as a Vlogging camera
34
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
includes face detection autofocus
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
does not have a selfie friendly screen
no external mic socket
34
quite wide (24mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
provides face detect focusing
high video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than competition (240 grams)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
display is not selfie friendly
lack of microphone support
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Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic ZS40 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL3 and Panasonic ZS40
 Olympus PEN E-PL3Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS40
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus PEN E-PL3 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS40
Also called as - Lumix DMC-TZ60
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Superzoom
Announced 2011-09-20 2014-01-06
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Truepic VI Venus Engine
Sensor type CMOS 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 12MP 18MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4032 x 3024 4896 x 3672
Highest native ISO 12800 3200
Highest boosted ISO - 6400
Min native ISO 200 100
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Total focus points 35 23
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 24-720mm (30.0x)
Max aperture - f/3.3-6.4
Macro focusing range - 3cm
Total lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.8
Screen
Type of display Tilting Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3" 3"
Display resolution 460 thousand dots 920 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Display tech HyperCrystal LCD AR(Anti-Reflective) coating TFT LCD with AR coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 200 thousand dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60s 4s
Highest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/2000s
Continuous shooting rate 6.0 frames per second 10.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 6.40 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Slow Sync./Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/160s -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60p/60i/30p), 1280 x 720 (60p/30p), 640 x 480 (30p)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video format AVCHD, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 313 gr (0.69 pounds) 240 gr (0.53 pounds)
Dimensions 110 x 64 x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") 111 x 64 x 34mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 52 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 20.9 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.3 not tested
DXO Low light rating 499 not tested
Other
Battery life 300 photos 300 photos
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLS-5 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots 1 1
Retail cost $399 $450