Olympus XZ-1 vs Panasonic ZS40

In this write-up, we will be contrasting the Olympus XZ-1 versus Panasonic ZS40, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a substantial gap between the resolutions of the XZ-1 (10MP) and ZS40 (18MP) and the XZ-1 (1/1.63") and ZS40 (1/2.3") come with different sensor measurements.

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The XZ-1 was announced 3 years before the ZS40 and that is quite a big difference as far as technology is concerned. Each of these cameras offer the identical body type (Compact).

Before delving in to a more detailed comparison, below is a quick introduction of how the XZ-1 scores versus the ZS40 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus XZ-1 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS40. The whole galleries are viewable at Olympus XZ-1 Gallery & Panasonic ZS40 Gallery.

For anybody who is intending to carry your camera often, you should consider its weight and proportions. The Olympus XZ-1 offers external dimensions of 111mm x 65mm x 42mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.7") along with a weight of 275 grams (0.61 lbs) and the Panasonic ZS40 has measurements of 111mm x 64mm x 34mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.3") and a weight of 240 grams (0.53 lbs).

Examine the Olympus XZ-1 versus Panasonic ZS40 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you are working with during that time. Following is the front view dimension comparison of the XZ-1 compared to the ZS40.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the XZ-1 and ZS40 is 88 and 90 respectively.

Normally, it's hard to imagine the contrast between sensor sizing purely by looking at specifications. The graphic underneath will help provide you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the XZ-1 and ZS40.

To sum up, both of those cameras enjoy different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The XZ-1 having a bigger sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF simpler and the Panasonic ZS40 will give you greater detail with its extra 8 Megapixels. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop photographs far more aggressively. The older XZ-1 is going to be behind with regard to sensor tech.