Panasonic FP8 vs Panasonic ZS40

Following is a extensive review of the Panasonic FP8 and Panasonic ZS40, former is a Ultracompact while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom and both of them are created by Panasonic. There exists a noticeable gap among the sensor resolutions of the FP8 (12MP) and ZS40 (18MP) but they enjoy the exact same sensor sizes (1/2.3").

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The FP8 was unveiled 5 years prior to the ZS40 which is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic FP8 being a Ultracompact camera and the Panasonic ZS40 being a Compact camera.

Before we go straight into a detailed comparison, below is a concise introduction of how the FP8 scores against the ZS40 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Following is a sample of the gallery pics for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP8 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS40. The full galleries are provided at Panasonic FP8 Gallery & Panasonic ZS40 Gallery.

For anybody who is intending to carry around your camera, you need to take into account its weight and proportions. The Panasonic FP8 offers external dimensions of 96mm x 60mm x 20mm (3.8" x 2.4" x 0.8") with a weight of 151 grams (0.33 lbs) while the Panasonic ZS40 has measurements of 111mm x 64mm x 34mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.3") having a weight of 240 grams (0.53 lbs).

Look at the Panasonic FP8 and Panasonic ZS40 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you have attached during that time. Below is the front view over all size comparison of the FP8 versus the ZS40.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the FP8 and ZS40 is 95 and 90 respectively.

Typically, it is very hard to picture the difference in sensor sizes just by researching a spec sheet. The picture below will provide you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the FP8 and ZS40.

As you can see, both of the cameras posses the exact same sensor measurements but different MP. You can expect to see the Panasonic ZS40 to render more detail having an extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also enable you to crop pics somewhat more aggressively. The more aged FP8 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.