Olympus SP-820UZ vs Panasonic ZS40

Below, we are comparing the Olympus SP-820UZ vs Panasonic ZS40, both Small Sensor Superzoom digital cameras by companies Olympus and Panasonic. There is a crucial difference between the sensor resolutions of the SP-820UZ (14MP) and ZS40 (18MP) but they enjoy the exact same sensor dimensions (1/2.3").

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The SP-820UZ was revealed 16 months prior to the ZS40 making the cameras a generation apart from each other. Each of the cameras come with the identical body type (Compact).

Before diving straight into a detailed comparison, below is a brief summary of how the SP-820UZ grades against the ZS40 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus Stylus SP-820UZ and Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS40. The full galleries are available at Olympus SP-820UZ Gallery and Panasonic ZS40 Gallery.

If you are planning to lug around your camera often, you are going to need to take into account its weight and volume. The Olympus SP-820UZ comes with physical dimensions of 117mm x 78mm x 93mm (4.6" x 3.1" x 3.7") and a weight of 485 grams (1.07 lbs) while the Panasonic ZS40 has sizing of 111mm x 64mm x 34mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.3") and a weight of 240 grams (0.53 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus SP-820UZ vs Panasonic ZS40 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you are utilizing during that time. The following is the front view dimensions comparison of the SP-820UZ compared to the ZS40.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the SP-820UZ and ZS40 is 69 and 90 respectively.

Often, it is very difficult to visualize the contrast between sensor measurements purely by reading through technical specs. The photograph here will give you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the SP-820UZ and ZS40.

As you have seen, both of these cameras posses the exact same sensor measurements but different MP. You should expect to see the Panasonic ZS40 to give more detail because of its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will enable you to crop pics somewhat more aggressively. The older SP-820UZ is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.