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Panasonic ZS40 vs Samsung SL30

Portability
90
Imaging
42
Features
58
Overall
48
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS40 front
 
Samsung SL30 front
Portability
95
Imaging
32
Features
14
Overall
24

Panasonic ZS40 vs Samsung SL30 Key Specs

Panasonic ZS40
(Full Review)
  • 18MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 3200 (Raise to 6400)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-720mm (F3.3-6.4) lens
  • 240g - 111 x 64 x 34mm
  • Introduced January 2014
  • Other Name is Lumix DMC-TZ60
  • Succeeded the Panasonic ZS35
  • Renewed by Panasonic ZS45
Samsung SL30
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 1600
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 38-114mm (F2.8-5.7) lens
  • 140g - 94 x 61 x 23mm
  • Revealed February 2009
  • Additionally referred to as ES15
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Panasonic ZS40 vs Samsung SL30 Overview

In this article, we will be matching up the Panasonic ZS40 vs Samsung SL30, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by competitors Panasonic and Samsung. There exists a noticeable gap among the image resolutions of the ZS40 (18MP) and SL30 (10MP) but they come with the same exact sensor sizing (1/2.3").

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The ZS40 was manufactured 4 years after the SL30 which is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of these cameras offer the identical body type (Compact).

Before getting straight into a more detailed comparison, below is a quick synopsis of how the ZS40 scores vs the SL30 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS40 over the Samsung SL30

 ZS40 SL30 
RevealedJanuary 2014February 2009More modern by 60 months
Manual focus More accurate focusing
Screen sizing3"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.5")
Screen resolution920k230kCrisper screen (+690k dot)

Reasons to pick Samsung SL30 over the Panasonic ZS40

 SL30 ZS40 

Common features in the Panasonic ZS40 and Samsung SL30

 ZS40 SL30 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Neither has selfie screen
Touch screen Lack of Touch screen

Panasonic ZS40 vs Samsung SL30 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is planning to carry around your camera, you'll need to consider its weight and proportions. The Panasonic ZS40 has exterior dimensions of 111mm x 64mm x 34mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.3") and a weight of 240 grams (0.53 lbs) and the Samsung SL30 has measurements of 94mm x 61mm x 23mm (3.7" x 2.4" x 0.9") with a weight of 140 grams (0.31 lbs).

Compare the Panasonic ZS40 vs Samsung SL30 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you have chosen at that time. Following is the front view scale comparison of the ZS40 and the SL30.

Panasonic ZS40 vs Samsung SL30 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the ZS40 and SL30 is 90 and 95 respectively.

Panasonic ZS40 vs Samsung SL30 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic ZS40 vs Samsung SL30 Sensor Comparison

Typically, it's tough to visualize the gap in sensor sizes simply by checking out technical specs. The image here may give you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the ZS40 and SL30.

As you have seen, each of these cameras enjoy the same exact sensor sizing albeit different megapixels. You can expect the Panasonic ZS40 to provide more detail due to its extra 8 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop shots far more aggressively. The younger ZS40 provides an edge in sensor technology.

Panasonic ZS40 vs Samsung SL30 sensor size comparison

Panasonic ZS40 vs Samsung SL30 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic ZS40 vs Samsung SL30 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic ZS40 Portrait photography advice
Samsung SL30 Portrait photography advice
51
focusing manually
MP count good (18 megapixels)
provides face detection focusing
saves RAW formats
external flash not possible
small sensor size (1/2.3")
24
offers face detection focusing
no manual focus
lack of manual exposure
can't use external flash
megapixel count low (10MP)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
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Street Comparison

Panasonic ZS40 as a Street photography camera
Samsung SL30 as a Street photography camera
69
has image stabilization (Optical)
saves RAW formats
lighter than competition (240 grams)
screen does not articulate
small sensor size (1/2.3")
47
screen is fixed
no image stabilization
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Panasonic ZS40
Sports photography with Samsung SL30
54
great zoom range (24-720mm 30.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Optical)
MP count good (18 megapixels)
provides tracking autofocus
small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no phase detect AF
16
lack of shutter priority mode
no image stabilization
megapixel count low (10MP)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic ZS40 Travel photography info
Samsung SL30 Travel photography info
69
lighter than competition (240g)
MP count good (18MP)
has built in flash
relatively wide (24mm)
great reach (720mm)
no Time Lapse recording
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
51
has built in flash
no Time Lapse function
megapixel count low (10 megapixels)
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
wide angle not great (38mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic ZS40 Landscape photography highlights
Samsung SL30 Landscape photography highlights
55
focusing manually
relatively wide (24mm)
good sized screen (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Optical)
MP count good (18 megapixels)
saves RAW formats
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
no Time Lapse recording
22
no manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not great (38mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
small screen (2.5 inch)
lack of manual exposure
no image stabilization
megapixel count low (10MP)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
no Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic ZS40 Vlogging highlights
Samsung SL30 Vlogging highlights
34
relatively wide (24mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
provides face detection focusing
video res high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
lighter than competition (240 grams)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
no external mic port
25
offers face detection focusing
wide angle not great (38mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
no image stabilization
low quality video (640 x 480 resolution)
no external mic support
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Panasonic ZS40 vs Samsung SL30 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic ZS40 and Samsung SL30
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS40Samsung SL30
General Information
Company Panasonic Samsung
Model Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS40 Samsung SL30
Otherwise known as Lumix DMC-TZ60 ES15
Class Small Sensor Superzoom Small Sensor Compact
Introduced 2014-01-06 2009-02-17
Physical type Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Chip Venus Engine -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 18 megapixels 10 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 -
Maximum resolution 4896 x 3672 3648 x 2736
Maximum native ISO 3200 1600
Maximum boosted ISO 6400 -
Min native ISO 100 80
RAW files
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Number of focus points 23 -
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 24-720mm (30.0x) 38-114mm (3.0x)
Maximal aperture f/3.3-6.4 f/2.8-5.7
Macro focus distance 3cm 5cm
Crop factor 5.8 5.9
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display size 3 inch 2.5 inch
Resolution of display 920 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Display technology TFT LCD with AR coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 200 thousand dots -
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Features
Slowest shutter speed 4 seconds 8 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/1500 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 10.0 frames per second -
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 6.40 m 4.60 m
Flash settings Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Slow Sync./Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off Auto, On, Off, Auto & Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync, Fill-in Flash, Flash Off, Red-Eye Fix
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60p/60i/30p), 1280 x 720 (60p/30p), 640 x 480 (30p) 800 x 592 (20 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (60, 30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 640x480
Video format MPEG-4, AVCHD Motion JPEG
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS BuiltIn None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 240g (0.53 lbs) 140g (0.31 lbs)
Dimensions 111 x 64 x 34mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.3") 94 x 61 x 23mm (3.7" x 2.4" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 300 shots -
Form of battery Battery Pack -
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes
Time lapse feature
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal SD/MMC/SDHC card, Internal
Card slots One One
Price at launch $450 $93