Olympus VH-515 vs Panasonic FZ40

Its time to look a little more in depth at the Olympus VH-515 vs Panasonic FZ40, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. The image resolution of the VH-515 (12MP) and the FZ40 (14MP) is very comparable and both cameras have the identical sensor measurements (1/2.3").

Photography Glossary

The VH-515 was unveiled 2 years later than the FZ40 and that is a fairly big difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus VH-515 being a Compact camera and the Panasonic FZ40 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before going straight to a step-by-step comparison, here is a short introduction of how the VH-515 scores against the FZ40 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Here is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus VH-515 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ40. The full galleries are available at Olympus VH-515 Gallery & Panasonic FZ40 Gallery.

For anybody who is looking to carry your camera frequently, you should factor in its weight and volume. The Olympus VH-515 has got exterior measurements of 102mm x 60mm x 21mm (4.0" x 2.4" x 0.8") and a weight of 152 grams (0.34 lbs) while the Panasonic FZ40 has sizing of 120mm x 80mm x 92mm (4.7" x 3.1" x 3.6") with a weight of 494 grams (1.09 lbs).

Check out the Olympus VH-515 vs Panasonic FZ40 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you select at the time. The following is a front view overall size comparison of the VH-515 and the FZ40.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the VH-515 and FZ40 is 95 and 68 respectively.

Normally, it's tough to imagine the contrast in sensor sizing merely by seeing technical specs. The graphic below should give you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the VH-515 and FZ40.

As you have seen, both of those cameras feature the identical sensor size but different megapixels. You can expect to see the Panasonic FZ40 to provide greater detail having an extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also help you crop photos way more aggressively. The newer VH-515 should have an advantage with regard to sensor technology.