Olympus 7040 vs Panasonic ZS15

Let's look a little more in depth at the Olympus 7040 and Panasonic ZS15, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by brands Olympus and Panasonic. The sensor resolution of the 7040 (14MP) and the ZS15 (12MP) is very comparable and both cameras posses the identical sensor size (1/2.3").

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The 7040 was announced 3 years earlier than the ZS15 and that is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of the cameras feature the same body design (Compact).

Before diving right into a comprehensive comparison, here is a quick introduction of how the 7040 scores versus the ZS15 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

This is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus Stylus 7040 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS15. The whole galleries are provided at Olympus 7040 Gallery & Panasonic ZS15 Gallery.

In case you're looking to carry your camera often, you need to take into account its weight and proportions. The Olympus 7040 comes with exterior dimensions of 95mm x 56mm x 26mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 1.0") having a weight of 144 grams (0.32 lbs) and the Panasonic ZS15 has measurements of 105mm x 58mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3") with a weight of 208 grams (0.46 lbs).

Look at the Olympus 7040 and Panasonic ZS15 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you are employing during that time. Here is a front view scale comparison of the 7040 against the ZS15.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability grade of the 7040 and ZS15 is 95 and 92 respectively.

Often, it is very tough to imagine the contrast in sensor sizing just by seeing a spec sheet. The photograph underneath may give you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the 7040 and ZS15.

As you can see, each of these cameras come with the identical sensor size but different resolution. You can expect to see the Olympus 7040 to produce more detail with its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop images a good deal more aggressively. The older 7040 will be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.