Olympus E-PL8 vs Panasonic ZS40

Following is a in depth review of the Olympus E-PL8 and Panasonic ZS40, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. The sensor resolution of the E-PL8 (16MP) and the ZS40 (18MP) is fairly comparable but the E-PL8 (Four Thirds) and ZS40 (1/2.3") boast totally different sensor sizes.

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The E-PL8 was unveiled 2 years after the ZS40 which is a fairly serious gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL8 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic ZS40 being a Compact camera.

Before diving straight to a detailed comparison, here is a concise summation of how the E-PL8 matches up against the ZS40 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN E-PL8 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS40. The full galleries are available at Olympus E-PL8 Gallery and Panasonic ZS40 Gallery.

If you are planning to carry around your camera frequently, you're going to have to factor its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-PL8 has exterior measurements of 115mm x 67mm x 38mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 1.5") along with a weight of 357 grams (0.79 lbs) while the Panasonic ZS40 has measurements of 111mm x 64mm x 34mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.3") accompanied by a weight of 240 grams (0.53 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-PL8 and Panasonic ZS40 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you are utilizing at the time. The following is a front view dimensions comparison of the E-PL8 and the ZS40.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-PL8 and ZS40 is 86 and 90 respectively.

Typically, its difficult to visualise the contrast in sensor sizes merely by seeing technical specs. The picture below will provide you a greater sense of the sensor measurements in the E-PL8 and ZS40.

As you can tell, the 2 cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The E-PL8 having a larger sensor will make achieving shallow depth of field easier and the Panasonic ZS40 will show extra detail having an extra 2MP. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop images a bit more aggressively. The fresher E-PL8 will have a benefit with regard to sensor innovation.