Panasonic FZ40 vs Panasonic LF1

Its time to look more in depth at the Panasonic FZ40 vs Panasonic LF1, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Small Sensor Compact and they are both designed by Panasonic. The sensor resolution of the FZ40 (14MP) and the LF1 (12MP) is very close but the FZ40 (1/2.3") and LF1 (1/1.7") boast totally different sensor measurements.

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The FZ40 was announced 4 years earlier than the LF1 which is a fairly serious difference as far as camera technology is concerned. The two cameras have different body design with the Panasonic FZ40 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Panasonic LF1 being a Compact camera.

Before getting into a more detailed comparison, here is a simple view of how the FZ40 grades versus the LF1 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Here is a sample of the gallery pics for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ40 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-LF1. The whole galleries are available at Panasonic FZ40 Gallery & Panasonic LF1 Gallery.

If you're going to travel with your camera, you are going to need to factor its weight and proportions. The Panasonic FZ40 comes with outer dimensions of 120mm x 80mm x 92mm (4.7" x 3.1" x 3.6") along with a weight of 494 grams (1.09 lbs) and the Panasonic LF1 has measurements of 103mm x 62mm x 28mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.1") with a weight of 192 grams (0.42 lbs).

Compare the Panasonic FZ40 vs Panasonic LF1 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you are utilising at that moment. Underneath is a front view over all size comparison of the FZ40 compared to the LF1.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the FZ40 and LF1 is 68 and 92 respectively.

Normally, it's difficult to visualise the difference in sensor dimensions simply by researching a spec sheet. The picture below might give you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the FZ40 and LF1.

As you can see, the two cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The FZ40 using its smaller sensor will make shooting shallow DOF trickier and the Panasonic FZ40 will provide you with extra detail with its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop images a bit more aggressively. The more aged FZ40 will be behind in sensor tech.