Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic LZ40

Its time to take a closer look at the Olympus E-PL5 versus Panasonic LZ40, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by companies Olympus and Panasonic. The sensor resolution of the E-PL5 (16MP) and the LZ40 (20MP) is relatively well matched but the E-PL5 (Four Thirds) and LZ40 (1/2.3") come with different sensor sizes.

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The E-PL5 was manufactured 15 months before the LZ40 which makes the cameras a generation away from each other. Both cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic LZ40 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before going in to a full comparison, below is a brief introduction of how the E-PL5 grades versus the LZ40 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Below is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus PEN E-PL5 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ40. The entire galleries are available at Olympus E-PL5 Gallery & Panasonic LZ40 Gallery.

In case you're going to carry around your camera frequently, you're going to have to think about its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-PL5 has got outside measurements of 111mm x 64mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") along with a weight of 325 grams (0.72 lbs) whilst the Panasonic LZ40 has dimensions of 126mm x 87mm x 94mm (5.0" x 3.4" x 3.7") and a weight of 524 grams (1.16 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-PL5 versus Panasonic LZ40 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you are utilizing at that moment. Following is the front view dimensions comparison of the E-PL5 and the LZ40.

Using size and weight, the portability score of the E-PL5 and LZ40 is 88 and 67 respectively.

Generally, it is very hard to visualize the difference between sensor sizes purely by reading through specs. The pic here will help give you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the E-PL5 and LZ40.

All in all, both of the cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The E-PL5 because of its bigger sensor is going to make achieving bokeh easier and the Panasonic LZ40 will give more detail due to its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also let you crop photographs much more aggressively. The more aged E-PL5 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.