Panasonic G1 vs Panasonic ZS40

Lets look much closer at the Panasonic G1 and Panasonic ZS40, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom and both of them are sold by Panasonic. There is a huge difference among the resolutions of the G1 (12MP) and ZS40 (18MP) and the G1 (Four Thirds) and ZS40 (1/2.3") have different sensor measurements.

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The G1 was manufactured 6 years prior to the ZS40 which is a fairly significant gap as far as camera tech is concerned. The two cameras have different body design with the Panasonic G1 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic ZS40 being a Compact camera.

Before going into a in depth comparison, here is a concise summation of how the G1 matches up against the ZS40 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

This is a preview of the gallery images for Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS40. The entire galleries are provided at Panasonic G1 Gallery and Panasonic ZS40 Gallery.

If you are going to travel with your camera often, you will need to factor its weight and size. The Panasonic G1 has outside dimensions of 124mm x 84mm x 45mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 1.8") with a weight of 360 grams (0.79 lbs) whilst 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).

Look at the Panasonic G1 and Panasonic ZS40 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you are working with at the time. Following is a front view overall size comparison of the G1 vs the ZS40.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability rating of the G1 and ZS40 is 82 and 90 respectively.

Generally, its hard to picture the difference in sensor dimensions simply by seeing a spec sheet. The picture here will provide you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the G1 and ZS40.

As you can see, each of the cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The G1 due to its bigger sensor is going to make shooting shallower depth of field less difficult and the Panasonic ZS40 will provide more detail due to its extra 6MP. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop shots more aggressively. The more aged G1 will be behind with regard to sensor innovation.