Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic ZS40
88 Imaging
48 Features
52 Overall
49
90 Imaging
43 Features
58 Overall
49
Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic ZS40 Key Specs
(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
(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- Superseded the Panasonic ZS35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
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.
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a LandslideThe 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.
Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic ZS40 Gallery
Here is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN E-PL3 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS40. The complete galleries are provided at Olympus E-PL3 Gallery and Panasonic ZS40 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL3 over the Panasonic ZS40
E-PL3 | ZS40 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Display type | Tilting | Fixed | Tilting display |
Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS40 over the Olympus E-PL3
ZS40 | E-PL3 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Launched | January 2014 | September 2011 | Fresher by 27 months | |
Display resolution | 920k | 460k | Sharper display (+460k dot) |
Common features in the Olympus E-PL3 and Panasonic ZS40
E-PL3 | ZS40 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Focus manually | Dial accurate focusing | |||
Display dimension | 3" | 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.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.
Considering size and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL3 and ZS40 is 88 and 90 respectively.
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 Screen and ViewFinder
Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison
Street Comparison
Sports Comparison
Travel Comparison
Landscape Comparison
Vlogging Comparison
Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic ZS40 Specifications
Olympus PEN E-PL3 | Panasonic 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 |