Panasonic ZS40

Panasonic ZS40 is Panasonic's Small Sensor Superzoom digital camera originally revealed on January of 2014. The camera includes a 18MP, CMOS 1/2.3" size sensor with a full resolution of 4896 x 3672. It is referred to as "Lumix DMC-TZ60" in certain countries.

Panasonic brought out this model to replace the earlier Panasonic ZS35 (Read Full Comparison) and afterwards launched the fresher Panasonic ZS45 (Read Full Comparison) to update this camera.

The ZS40 is rated #24 out of 244 in Small Sensor Superzoom cameras and over-all #441 out of 1465 for digital cameras in our collection. Please test our Advanced camera filter to see camera results based on your personal factors.

Here is a graph of multiple factors used in the rating system.

The Panasonic ZS40 is part of a family of products. You can read the full list below.

You can view the ZS40 from several angles in the gallery below.

Here is a list of positives and negatives of the Panasonic ZS40 based on aspects that are generally regarded as crucial in a digital camera.

The Panasonic ZS40 houses the Venus Engine processor chip. The sensor measurement on the Panasonic ZS40 is 6.17mm x 4.55mm (1/2.3"). The 28 mm² sensor has the capability to capture 4896 x 3672 pixels with aspect ratios of 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9. The camera includes Image Stabilization (Optical). Optical stabilization is superior than digital stabilization since the latter can easily cause cropping.

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The CMOS sensor boasts 18MP and features a standard ISO range of 100 to 3200. The ISO can also be expanded electronically to a maximum of 6400. RAW files are saved so the user has more margin for error.

The graphic below displays the ZS40's sensor size in comparison to other popular sizes. The ZS40 sensor comes with a crop factor of 5.8 and is pointed out in green.

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To get a sense of specific aspect ratios, you should refer to the graphic below.

Panasonic ZS40 weighs 0.53 lbs (240 grams / 8.47 ounces) and the size of the camera is 111mm x 64mm x 34mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.3"). The weight of average Small Sensor Superzoom camera is 387 grams and the Panasonic ZS40 is less heavy compared to its competitors.

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Listed below is a pic of the Panasonic ZS40 next to a soda so you're able to have a sense of its size.

The top view below will highlight the button layout on the ZS40.

The ZS40 comes with a built in lens giving a focal range of 24-720mm giving it a 30.0 x zoom which is great and will let you zoom right in.

At it's widest 24mm, it offers an aperture of f3.3 which will be pretty sluggish and not ideal in low light events and you will likely find it hard to capture a shallow depth of field. You will probably also need to boost your ISO producing noisy shots. For the long end, 720mm is brilliant zoom and comes to f6.4 which is very slow and you may have to apply slower shutter speeds.

The ZS40 has the following connectivity:

• USB Yes
• Wireless Yes
• NFC Yes
• HDMI Yes
• GPS Yes

Digital cameras that feature NFC and Bluetooth support can easily be controlled wirelessly with smartphones. You are able to transfer images and usually alter camera settings with no need to connect physically with the camera.

Some apps also allow a Liveview and release the shutter if you are not near the camera. If the camera includes a HDMI out, it could be attached to an external monitor. A lot of cameras will allow you to recharge the battery pack using the USB port.

The highest possible video quality on the Panasonic ZS40 is 1920 x 1080 and it can save in MPEG-4 and AVCHD file format. 1080p quality gives you an excellent balance for video quality vs file size but 1080p isn't going to leave you with much room to crop. The body does not offer a mic and headphone port so you get zero control over your sound. It is perhaps a better idea to get an alternative camera should you need decent sound in your videos.

There is no environment sealing in the Panasonic ZS40 so you have to be careful in rainy and dusty conditions.

The Panasonic ZS40 includes a 3 inch fixed display screen with a resolution of 920 thousand dots.

Sadly the display screen isn't a touch screen.

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The ViewFinder specs regarding Panasonic ZS40 are below:

• ViewFinder Electronic
• Resolution 200 thousand dots
• Coverage 100%

Viewfinders can be very beneficial for bright outdoor conditions which can make the camera screen washed out and hard to view.

Panasonic ZS40 has the capability to shoot continuously at 10.0 frames/s. The max shutter speed is 1/2000s.

Panasonic ZS40 includes just in-built flash with missing external flash support.

Panasonic ZS40 includes only Contrast Based Auto Focus and lacks Phase Detect Auto Focus. Phase Detection focusing is a lot faster & precise compared to Contrast Based focusing. The camera includes Face detection which is valuable for people photography.

It includes 23 focus points to pick from. It also features Tracking Auto Focus for moving objects. Panasonic ZS40 includes manual focusing in case it is needed for low light conditions or you require more accurate focusing control.

The battery life in the Panasonic ZS40 is made to last for 300 pictures based on the CIPA requirements which is comparable with its competition. The average Small Sensor Superzoom camera battery life is 316. Fujifilm HS35EXR offers the best (600) battery life for this range of cameras.

Following is a collection of Small Sensor Superzoom cameras which have the highest battery life:

ModelVisualizeBattery LifeRAWNFCBluetooth

Fujifilm HS35EXR
ZS40 vs Fujifilm HS35EXR600 yesnono

Nikon B500
ZS40 vs B500600 nonoyes

Photography Glossary

Nikon L840
ZS40 vs L840590 noyesno

Panasonic FZ200
ZS40 vs FZ200540 yesnono

Leica V-Lux 4
ZS40 vs V-Lux 4540 yesnono

The following illustration provides a outline of the Panasonic ZS40 for specific kinds of photography. To find out more, browse to the specific section below.

The Panasonic ZS40 gets a points total of 52 which is decent, and means the camera is reasonably suitable for portraits. Photographing portrait photos leans greatly towards sensor specs, RAW support & ability to utilize off-camera flash.

With a nice points tally of 69, the Panasonic ZS40 is a good fit for street photography. A decent street photography camera offers a perfect balance of picture quality plus portability.

A modest sports photography score of 54 means the Panasonic ZS40 is reasonably acceptable for taking pictures of sports. A camera really should have very good tracking and fast continuous shooting for sports photography.

Size is extremely important when buying a camera for travel. All things considered, the Panasonic ZS40 gets a above average 69 as a travelling camera which is a very decent choice to take with you on your travels.

When you're looking to pick a camera for landscape photographs, the most vital aspect will be image quality. The Panasonic ZS40 with it's reasonable grade of 56 for a landscape camera is reasonably acceptable within the current market.

A vlogging camera preferably should come with a articulating display screen, microphone port and ideally IBIS. Taking everything into account, the Panasonic ZS40 is not really very good as a vlog camera as it comes to a really bad score of 34.

If you are looking for replacements to the ZS40, here is a range of the highest placed cameras that fall under the class of Small Sensor Superzoom.

The graph followed below gives you a bird's eye view of the ZS40 vs it's top scored rivals suggested earlier.

Here are a few more cameras you may take a look at as alternate options. To see a extensive comparison, click the "compare" link.