Panasonic S1 vs Panasonic ZS40

Below, we are evaluating the Panasonic S1 vs Panasonic ZS40, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom and both are produced by Panasonic. There is a large difference among the sensor resolutions of the S1 (12MP) and ZS40 (18MP) but they use the exact same sensor sizes (1/2.3").

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The S1 was introduced 4 years earlier than the ZS40 and that is a fairly serious difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of these cameras come with the identical body type (Compact).

Before going through a full comparison, below is a brief highlight of how the S1 matches up against the ZS40 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Panasonic Lumix DMC-S1 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS40. The whole galleries are provided at Panasonic S1 Gallery & Panasonic ZS40 Gallery.

If you're planning to lug around your camera often, you will need to think about its weight and size. The Panasonic S1 features external dimensions of 99mm x 59mm x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8") having a weight of 117 grams (0.26 lbs) and the Panasonic ZS40 has specifications of 111mm x 64mm x 34mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.3") along with a weight of 240 grams (0.53 lbs).

Look at the Panasonic S1 vs Panasonic ZS40 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you choose at that moment. Here is the front view measurement comparison of the S1 against the ZS40.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability grade of the S1 and ZS40 is 96 and 90 respectively.

Oftentimes, it can be hard to visualise the contrast in sensor measurements just by going through specifications. The graphic here should give you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the S1 and ZS40.

To sum up, both the cameras posses the exact same sensor measurements but not the same resolution. You can expect to see the Panasonic ZS40 to show more detail using its extra 6MP. Greater resolution will also let you crop images somewhat more aggressively. The older S1 will be behind when it comes to sensor tech.