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Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic FZ40

Portability
86
Imaging
53
Features
81
Overall
64
Olympus PEN E-PL7 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ40 front
Portability
68
Imaging
37
Features
40
Overall
38

Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic FZ40 Key Specs

Olympus E-PL7
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 357g - 115 x 67 x 38mm
  • Revealed September 2014
  • Replaced the Olympus E-PL6
  • Successor is Olympus E-PL8
Panasonic FZ40
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-600mm (F2.8-5.2) lens
  • 494g - 120 x 80 x 92mm
  • Released July 2010
  • Also referred to as Lumix DMC-FZ45
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Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic FZ40 Overview

On this page, we are analyzing the Olympus E-PL7 versus Panasonic FZ40, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by brands Olympus and Panasonic. The sensor resolution of the E-PL7 (16MP) and the FZ40 (14MP) is very close but the E-PL7 (Four Thirds) and FZ40 (1/2.3") boast totally different sensor sizing.

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The E-PL7 was revealed 4 years after the FZ40 which is a fairly significant difference as far as camera technology is concerned. The two cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL7 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic FZ40 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before diving into a in depth comparison, here is a short view of how the E-PL7 scores vs the FZ40 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL7 over the Panasonic FZ40

 E-PL7 FZ40 
ReleasedSeptember 2014July 2010More modern by 51 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display resolution1037k230kCrisper display (+807k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic FZ40 over the Olympus E-PL7

 FZ40 E-PL7 

Common features in the Olympus E-PL7 and Panasonic FZ40

 E-PL7 FZ40 
Manually focus Very accurate focus
Display dimensions3"3"Equal display measurement

Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic FZ40 Physical Comparison

In case you're going to carry around your camera frequently, you will want to factor its weight and size. The Olympus E-PL7 features external dimensions of 115mm x 67mm x 38mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 1.5") with a weight of 357 grams (0.79 lbs) and the Panasonic FZ40 has specifications of 120mm x 80mm x 92mm (4.7" x 3.1" x 3.6") along with a weight of 494 grams (1.09 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-PL7 versus Panasonic FZ40 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you are utilizing at that moment. Here is a front view over all size comparison of the E-PL7 vs the FZ40.

Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic FZ40 size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL7 and FZ40 is 86 and 68 respectively.

Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic FZ40 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic FZ40 Sensor Comparison

Normally, its tough to envision the gap in sensor sizes only by researching specifications. The image underneath should offer you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PL7 and FZ40.

To sum up, both of the cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The E-PL7 using its larger sensor will make shooting shallow DOF simpler and the Olympus E-PL7 will render greater detail because of its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also help you crop images more aggressively. The more recent E-PL7 will have an edge in sensor innovation.

Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic FZ40 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic FZ40 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic FZ40 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL7 Portrait photography info
Panasonic FZ40 Portrait photography info
71
has manual focus
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
offers face detect focus
exports RAW formats
46
manual focus
decent MP (14 megapixels)
saves RAW files
no external flash support
sensor is small (1/2.3")
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-PL7
Street photography with Panasonic FZ40
84
tilting screen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
comes with focus by touch
good high ISO (25,600)
51
built in image stabilization (Optical)
saves RAW files
screen is fixed
sensor is small (1/2.3")
more heavy than competition in class (494 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL7 Sports photography details
Panasonic FZ40 Sports photography details
66
image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
offers tracking focus
has no phase detect auto focus
43
long zoom range (25-600mm 24.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (14 megapixels)
very slow continuous shooting (2.0 frames/s)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL7 Travel photography highlights
Panasonic FZ40 Travel photography highlights
85
comes with focus by touch
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
selfie friendly display
54
decent MP (14MP)
flash built-in
reasonably wide (25mm)
very long zoom (600mm)
missing Timelapse function
more heavy than competition in class (494g)
screen isn't selfie friendly
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL7 Landscape photography information
Panasonic FZ40 Landscape photography information
79
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a good size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count good (16MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
good high ISO (25,600)
exports RAW formats
51
manual focus
reasonably wide (25mm)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (14MP)
saves RAW files
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
missing Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL7 Vlogging info
Panasonic FZ40 Vlogging info
78
selfie friendly display
has touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
offers face detect focus
great video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
no mic jack
23
reasonably wide (25mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
screen isn't selfie friendly
low quality video (1280 x 720 pixels)
missing microphone support
more heavy than competition in class (494 grams)
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Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic FZ40 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL7 and Panasonic FZ40
 Olympus PEN E-PL7Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ40
General Information
Brand Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus PEN E-PL7 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ40
Other name - Lumix DMC-FZ45
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Superzoom
Revealed 2014-09-01 2010-07-21
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless SLR-like (bridge)
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic VII Venus Engine HD II
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 14 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4608 x 3456 4320 x 3240
Highest native ISO 25600 6400
Minimum native ISO 100 80
RAW files
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Number of focus points 81 -
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 25-600mm (24.0x)
Maximum aperture - f/2.8-5.2
Macro focus range - 1cm
Total lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.9
Screen
Screen type Tilting Fixed Type
Screen sizing 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of screen 1,037k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) Electronic
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60s 60s
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000s 1/2000s
Continuous shooting rate 8.0fps 2.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range no built-in flash 9.50 m
Flash settings no built-in flash Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video file format H.264, Motion JPEG AVCHD Lite
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 357 gr (0.79 lb) 494 gr (1.09 lb)
Physical dimensions 115 x 67 x 38mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 1.5") 120 x 80 x 92mm (4.7" x 3.1" x 3.6")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 72 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 22.7 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 12.4 not tested
DXO Low light score 873 not tested
Other
Battery life 350 photos -
Style of battery Battery Pack -
Battery model BLS-50 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10 sec (3 pictures))
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC card SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots 1 1
Launch cost $499 $420