Olympus 7040 vs Panasonic GF3

Lets look more closely at the Olympus 7040 versus Panasonic GF3, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by brands Olympus and Panasonic. The sensor resolution of the 7040 (14MP) and the GF3 (12MP) is very well matched but the 7040 (1/2.3") and GF3 (Four Thirds) use totally different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The 7040 was introduced 19 months before the GF3 making the cameras a generation apart from each other. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus 7040 being a Compact camera and the Panasonic GF3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting through a detailed comparison, below is a short synopsis of how the 7040 matches up against the GF3 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Here is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus Stylus 7040 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3. The whole galleries are provided at Olympus 7040 Gallery & Panasonic GF3 Gallery.

In case you're intending to carry your camera often, you'll need to think about its weight and measurements. The Olympus 7040 has got external dimensions of 95mm x 56mm x 26mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 1.0") with a weight of 144 grams (0.32 lbs) while the Panasonic GF3 has proportions of 108mm x 67mm x 32mm (4.3" x 2.6" x 1.3") and a weight of 264 grams (0.58 lbs).

Check the Olympus 7040 versus Panasonic GF3 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you have attached at that moment. Underneath is the front view dimension comparison of the 7040 against the GF3.

Using size and weight, the portability score of the 7040 and GF3 is 95 and 90 respectively.

Often, its difficult to see the gap between sensor sizing purely by looking at technical specs. The graphic here may give you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the 7040 and GF3.

As you can tell, each of the cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The 7040 with its tinier sensor will make shooting shallower depth of field more challenging and the Olympus 7040 will give you more detail using its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also help you crop images somewhat more aggressively. The older 7040 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.