Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic ZS40

Below, we are analyzing the Olympus E-PL7 vs 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-PL7 (16MP) and the ZS40 (18MP) is fairly well matched but the E-PL7 (Four Thirds) and ZS40 (1/2.3") use different sensor dimensions.

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The E-PL7 was revealed 8 months later than the ZS40 and they are both of a similar generation. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL7 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic ZS40 being a Compact camera.

Before we go through a in depth comparison, below is a quick view of how the E-PL7 scores against the ZS40 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN E-PL7 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS40. The full galleries are available at Olympus E-PL7 Gallery and Panasonic ZS40 Gallery.

For those who are aiming to carry your camera often, you will need to take into account its weight and volume. The Olympus E-PL7 offers outer measurements of 115mm x 67mm x 38mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 1.5") accompanied by a weight of 357 grams (0.79 lbs) and the Panasonic ZS40 has sizing of 111mm x 64mm x 34mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.3") having a weight of 240 grams (0.53 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic ZS40 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you are utilizing at that time. Here is the front view size comparison of the E-PL7 against the ZS40.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL7 and ZS40 is 86 and 90 respectively.

Quite often, it's difficult to visualize the gap between sensor sizing just by reading through specifications. The visual below may give you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PL7 and ZS40.

Plainly, each of these cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The E-PL7 having a larger sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field simpler and the Panasonic ZS40 will resolve greater detail because of its extra 2MP. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop images somewhat more aggressively. The younger E-PL7 provides a benefit in sensor innovation.