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Olympus SZ-10 vs Panasonic ZS40

Portability
90
Imaging
37
Features
36
Overall
36
Olympus SZ-10 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS40 front
Portability
90
Imaging
43
Features
58
Overall
49

Olympus SZ-10 vs Panasonic ZS40 Key Specs

Olympus SZ-10
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 1600
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-504mm (F3.1-4.4) lens
  • 215g - 106 x 67 x 38mm
  • Revealed February 2011
Panasonic ZS40
(Full Review)
  • 18MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 3200 (Increase to 6400)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-720mm (F3.3-6.4) lens
  • 240g - 111 x 64 x 34mm
  • Released January 2014
  • Alternate Name is Lumix DMC-TZ60
  • Older Model is Panasonic ZS35
  • Replacement is Panasonic ZS45
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Olympus SZ-10 vs Panasonic ZS40 Overview

In this article, we will be analyzing the Olympus SZ-10 versus Panasonic ZS40, both Small Sensor Superzoom cameras by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a big gap among the resolutions of the SZ-10 (14MP) and ZS40 (18MP) but they use the same exact sensor sizing (1/2.3").

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The SZ-10 was released 3 years before the ZS40 and that is a fairly big gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of the cameras offer the identical body type (Compact).

Before going in to a full comparison, below is a quick highlight of how the SZ-10 grades against the ZS40 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-10 over the Panasonic ZS40

 SZ-10 ZS40 

Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS40 over the Olympus SZ-10

 ZS40 SZ-10 
ReleasedJanuary 2014February 2011Fresher by 35 months
Focus manually More precise focusing
Screen resolution920k460kSharper screen (+460k dot)

Common features in the Olympus SZ-10 and Panasonic ZS40

 SZ-10 ZS40 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen sizing3"3"Equivalent screen measurement
Selfie screen Neither features selfie screen
Touch screen Missing Touch screen

Olympus SZ-10 vs Panasonic ZS40 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is going to carry your camera often, you should factor its weight and volume. The Olympus SZ-10 enjoys physical measurements of 106mm x 67mm x 38mm (4.2" x 2.6" x 1.5") and a weight of 215 grams (0.47 lbs) whilst the Panasonic ZS40 has sizing of 111mm x 64mm x 34mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.3") with a weight of 240 grams (0.53 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus SZ-10 versus Panasonic ZS40 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you have during that time. Following is the front view size comparison of the SZ-10 compared to the ZS40.

Olympus SZ-10 vs Panasonic ZS40 size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the SZ-10 and ZS40 is 90 and 90 respectively.

Olympus SZ-10 vs Panasonic ZS40 top view buttons comparison

Olympus SZ-10 vs Panasonic ZS40 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, its hard to see the difference in sensor sizing merely by looking through technical specs. The visual here will offer you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the SZ-10 and ZS40.

As you can tell, the two cameras enjoy the same exact sensor sizing albeit not the same MP. You should expect the Panasonic ZS40 to result in more detail as a result of its extra 4MP. Higher resolution can also help you crop pictures far more aggressively. The older SZ-10 will be behind in sensor technology.

Olympus SZ-10 vs Panasonic ZS40 sensor size comparison

Olympus SZ-10 vs Panasonic ZS40 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus SZ-10 vs Panasonic ZS40 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus SZ-10
Portrait photography with Panasonic ZS40
33
good resolution (14MP)
offers face detection focusing
manual focus not available
lack of manual exposure
no external flash support
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
52
has manual focus
resolution is good (18MP)
has face detection focus
exports RAW formats
no external flash support
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
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Street Comparison

Olympus SZ-10 Street photography highlights
Panasonic ZS40 Street photography highlights
60
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than competition (215 grams)
no articulating screen
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
69
built in image stabilization (Optical)
exports RAW formats
lighter than competition in class (240 grams)
screen does not articulate
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
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Sports Comparison

Olympus SZ-10 as a Sports photography camera
Panasonic ZS40 as a Sports photography camera
40
incredible zoom range (28-504mm 18.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
good resolution (14MP)
offers tracking autofocus
continuous shooting slow (1.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority mode
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
terrible battery power (220 CIPA)
lack of phase detect AF
54
great zoom range (24-720mm 30.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
resolution is good (18 megapixels)
has tracking autofocus
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus SZ-10 Travel photography advice
Panasonic ZS40 Travel photography advice
65
lighter than competition (215g)
good resolution (14 megapixels)
flash built-in
quite wide (28mm)
very long zoom (504mm)
lack of Timelapse mode
terrible battery power (220 shots)
display isn't selfie friendly
slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
69
lighter than competition in class (240 grams)
resolution is good (18MP)
has built in flash
relatively wide (24mm)
great reach (720mm)
lack of Time Lapse mode
display is not selfie friendly
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus SZ-10 Landscape photography information
Panasonic ZS40 Landscape photography information
40
quite wide (28mm)
good sized screen (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
good resolution (14 megapixels)
manual focus not available
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
lack of manual exposure
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
terrible battery power (220 per charge)
lack of Timelapse mode
56
has manual focus
relatively wide (24mm)
pretty good screen size (3")
built in image stabilization (Optical)
resolution is good (18MP)
exports RAW formats
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.3)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lack of Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus SZ-10
Vlogging with Panasonic ZS40
31
quite wide (28mm)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
offers face detection focusing
lighter than competition (215g)
slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
display isn't selfie friendly
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pxls)
lack of external microphone support
34
relatively wide (24mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
has face detection focus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than competition in class (240g)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.3)
display is not selfie friendly
lack of external mic port
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Olympus SZ-10 vs Panasonic ZS40 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus SZ-10 and Panasonic ZS40
 Olympus SZ-10Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS40
General Information
Company Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus SZ-10 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS40
Otherwise known as - Lumix DMC-TZ60
Class Small Sensor Superzoom Small Sensor Superzoom
Revealed 2011-02-08 2014-01-06
Body design Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic III+ Venus Engine
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 14MP 18MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4288 x 3216 4896 x 3672
Maximum native ISO 1600 3200
Maximum boosted ISO - 6400
Min native ISO 80 100
RAW images
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points - 23
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 28-504mm (18.0x) 24-720mm (30.0x)
Largest aperture f/3.1-4.4 f/3.3-6.4
Macro focusing distance 1cm 3cm
Crop factor 5.8 5.8
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3 inch 3 inch
Display resolution 460k dot 920k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Display technology TFT Color LCD TFT LCD with AR coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 200k dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Features
Lowest shutter speed 4 secs 4 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/2000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 1.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 7.10 m 6.40 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Slow Sync./Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30, 15fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15fps) 1920 x 1080 (60p/60i/30p), 1280 x 720 (60p/30p), 640 x 480 (30p)
Maximum video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 215g (0.47 lbs) 240g (0.53 lbs)
Dimensions 106 x 67 x 38mm (4.2" x 2.6" x 1.5") 111 x 64 x 34mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 220 images 300 images
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID LI-50B -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots One One
Price at launch $300 $450