Olympus E-PL5 vs Panasonic ZS40

Below is a extended comparison of the Olympus E-PL5 versus Panasonic ZS40, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. The sensor resolution of the E-PL5 (16MP) and the ZS40 (18MP) is fairly similar but the E-PL5 (Four Thirds) and ZS40 (1/2.3") feature totally different sensor dimensions.

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The E-PL5 was introduced 15 months prior to the ZS40 making the cameras a generation apart from one another. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic ZS40 being a Compact camera.

Before getting through a in depth comparison, below is a brief synopsis of how the E-PL5 scores against the ZS40 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN E-PL5 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS40. The whole galleries are provided at Olympus E-PL5 Gallery and Panasonic ZS40 Gallery.

For anybody who is planning to lug around your camera frequently, you are going to need to factor in its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-PL5 provides external measurements of 111mm x 64mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") having a weight of 325 grams (0.72 lbs) whilst the Panasonic ZS40 has proportions of 111mm x 64mm x 34mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.3") having a weight of 240 grams (0.53 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-PL5 versus Panasonic ZS40 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you are utilising at the time. The following is the front view scale comparison of the E-PL5 versus the ZS40.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-PL5 and ZS40 is 88 and 90 respectively.

Normally, its tough to visualise the gap between sensor measurements just by reading specs. The graphic here will provide you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PL5 and ZS40.

As you can plainly see, both of the cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-PL5 having a larger sensor will make getting shallower DOF simpler and the Panasonic ZS40 will offer you extra detail using its extra 2MP. Greater resolution will enable you to crop photos somewhat more aggressively. The older E-PL5 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor innovation.