Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Panasonic ZS40

Lets look closer at the Olympus XZ-2 iHS versus Panasonic ZS40, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by companies Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a big gap between the image resolutions of the XZ-2 iHS (12MP) and ZS40 (18MP) and the XZ-2 iHS (1/1.7") and ZS40 (1/2.3") use different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The XZ-2 iHS was revealed 12 months before the ZS40 and they are both of a similar generation. Both of the cameras offer the identical body type (Compact).

Before delving straight into a in-depth comparison, below is a quick highlight of how the XZ-2 iHS scores vs the ZS40 for portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

The following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus XZ-2 iHS and Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS40. The full galleries are available at Olympus XZ-2 iHS Gallery and Panasonic ZS40 Gallery.

For anyone who is planning to carry your camera frequently, you will want to take into account its weight and size. The Olympus XZ-2 iHS enjoys outer measurements of 113mm x 65mm x 48mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.9") with a weight of 346 grams (0.76 lbs) while the Panasonic ZS40 has specifications of 111mm x 64mm x 34mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.3") and a weight of 240 grams (0.53 lbs).

See the Olympus XZ-2 iHS versus Panasonic ZS40 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you have at the time. Following is the front view scale comparison of the XZ-2 iHS compared to the ZS40.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the XZ-2 iHS and ZS40 is 85 and 90 respectively.

Typically, it's hard to picture the contrast between sensor sizing just by going over specs. The photograph underneath should offer you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the XZ-2 iHS and ZS40.

All in all, each of these cameras enjoy different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The XZ-2 iHS using its bigger sensor is going to make getting shallow DOF less difficult and the Panasonic ZS40 will offer you greater detail because of its extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution will help you crop pictures far more aggressively. The older XZ-2 iHS is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.