Olympus E-PL9 vs Panasonic ZS40

On this page, we are analyzing the Olympus E-PL9 vs Panasonic ZS40, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. The sensor resolution of the E-PL9 (16MP) and the ZS40 (18MP) is fairly well matched but the E-PL9 (Four Thirds) and ZS40 (1/2.3") boast different sensor measurements.

Photography Glossary

The E-PL9 was released 4 years later than the ZS40 and that is quite a large gap as far as tech is concerned. Both cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL9 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic ZS40 being a Compact camera.

Before delving right into a complete comparison, here is a short introduction of how the E-PL9 scores against the ZS40 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN E-PL9 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS40. The complete galleries are viewable at Olympus E-PL9 Gallery and Panasonic ZS40 Gallery.

If you're intending to lug around your camera often, you will have to consider its weight and size. The Olympus E-PL9 features external measurements of 117mm x 68mm x 39mm (4.6" x 2.7" x 1.5") with a weight of 380 grams (0.84 lbs) whilst the Panasonic ZS40 has specifications of 111mm x 64mm x 34mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.3") and a weight of 240 grams (0.53 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-PL9 vs Panasonic ZS40 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you use at the time. The following is a front view proportions comparison of the E-PL9 compared to the ZS40.

Looking at size and weight, the portability score of the E-PL9 and ZS40 is 85 and 90 respectively.

Often, it's hard to visualize the gap between sensor measurements purely by looking at specifications. The graphic below may give you a greater sense of the sensor measurements in the E-PL9 and ZS40.

Plainly, each of these cameras have different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-PL9 due to its larger sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF simpler and the Panasonic ZS40 will resolve greater detail as a result of its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also allow you to crop pics a bit more aggressively. The more recent E-PL9 provides an advantage in sensor innovation.