Nikon 1 J4 vs Olympus E-PL1s
92 Imaging
49 Features
62 Overall
54


86 Imaging
47 Features
43 Overall
45
Nikon 1 J4 vs Olympus E-PL1s Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 18MP - 1" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Display
- ISO 160 - 12800
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Nikon 1 Mount
- 232g - 100 x 60 x 29mm
- Introduced April 2014
- Old Model is Nikon 1 J3
- Later Model is Nikon 1 J5
(Full Review)
- 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
- 2.7" Fixed Screen
- ISO 100 - 6400
- Sensor based Image Stabilization
- 1280 x 720 video
- Micro Four Thirds Mount
- 334g - 115 x 72 x 42mm
- Released November 2010
- Succeeded the Olympus E-PL1
- Renewed by Olympus E-PL2

Nikon 1 J4 vs Olympus E-PL1s Overview
Below is a in-depth review of the Nikon 1 J4 and Olympus E-PL1s, both Entry-Level Mirrorless cameras by rivals Nikon and Olympus. There is a considerable difference among the sensor resolutions of the 1 J4 (18MP) and E-PL1s (12MP) and the 1 J4 (1") and E-PL1s (Four Thirds) have totally different sensor size.

The 1 J4 was unveiled 3 years later than the E-PL1s and that is a fairly large difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of these cameras have the same body design (Rangefinder-style mirrorless).
Before we go into a detailed comparison, here is a brief summation of how the 1 J4 grades vs the E-PL1s when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Nikon 1 J4 vs Olympus E-PL1s Gallery
This is a preview of the gallery images for Nikon 1 J4 & Olympus PEN E-PL1s. The full galleries are available at Nikon 1 J4 Gallery & Olympus E-PL1s Gallery.
Reasons to pick Nikon 1 J4 over the Olympus E-PL1s
1 J4 | E-PL1s | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Released | April 2014 | ![]() | November 2010 | More recent by 42 months |
Screen dimensions | 3" | ![]() | 2.7" | Bigger screen (+0.3") |
Screen resolution | 1037k | ![]() | 230k | Clearer screen (+807k dot) |
Touch screen | ![]() | Quickly navigate |
Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL1s over the Nikon 1 J4
E-PL1s | 1 J4 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Manual focus | ![]() | More precise focus |
Common features in the Nikon 1 J4 and Olympus E-PL1s
1 J4 | E-PL1s | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Screen type | Fixed | ![]() | Fixed | Fixed screen |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Missing selfie screen |
Nikon 1 J4 vs Olympus E-PL1s Physical Comparison
When you are going to lug around your camera often, you will need to factor its weight and measurements. The Nikon 1 J4 comes with outside dimensions of 100mm x 60mm x 29mm (3.9" x 2.4" x 1.1") along with a weight of 232 grams (0.51 lbs) and the Olympus E-PL1s has proportions of 115mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") along with a weight of 334 grams (0.74 lbs).
Take a look at the Nikon 1 J4 and Olympus E-PL1s in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you have attached at the time. Below is a front view over all size comparison of the 1 J4 vs the E-PL1s.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability grade of the 1 J4 and E-PL1s is 92 and 86 respectively.

Nikon 1 J4 vs Olympus E-PL1s Sensor Comparison
Often, it is very hard to envision the contrast in sensor measurements purely by going through specifications. The visual underneath may give you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the 1 J4 and E-PL1s.
To sum up, the two cameras have different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The 1 J4 having a smaller sensor will make getting shallow DOF more challenging and the Nikon 1 J4 will produce more detail having an extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution will allow you to crop photographs a bit more aggressively. The younger 1 J4 is going to have a benefit when it comes to sensor technology.

Nikon 1 J4 vs Olympus E-PL1s Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Nikon 1 J4 vs Olympus E-PL1s Specifications
Nikon 1 J4 | Olympus PEN E-PL1s | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Company | Nikon | Olympus |
Model | Nikon 1 J4 | Olympus PEN E-PL1s |
Class | Entry-Level Mirrorless | Entry-Level Mirrorless |
Introduced | 2014-04-10 | 2010-11-16 |
Physical type | Rangefinder-style mirrorless | Rangefinder-style mirrorless |
Sensor Information | ||
Processor Chip | Expeed 4 | Truepic V |
Sensor type | CMOS | CMOS |
Sensor size | 1" | Four Thirds |
Sensor dimensions | 13.2 x 8.8mm | 17.3 x 13mm |
Sensor area | 116.2mm² | 224.9mm² |
Sensor resolution | 18MP | 12MP |
Anti aliasing filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 3:2 | 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 |
Max resolution | 5232 x 3488 | 4032 x 3024 |
Max native ISO | 12800 | 6400 |
Lowest native ISO | 160 | 100 |
RAW pictures | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Manual focus | ||
AF touch | ||
Continuous AF | ||
Single AF | ||
Tracking AF | ||
Selective AF | ||
AF center weighted | ||
AF multi area | ||
AF live view | ||
Face detect AF | ||
Contract detect AF | ||
Phase detect AF | ||
Number of focus points | 171 | 11 |
Cross focus points | 105 | - |
Lens | ||
Lens mounting type | Nikon 1 | Micro Four Thirds |
Total lenses | 13 | 107 |
Crop factor | 2.7 | 2.1 |
Screen | ||
Type of display | Fixed Type | Fixed Type |
Display diagonal | 3" | 2.7" |
Resolution of display | 1,037 thousand dots | 230 thousand dots |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch screen | ||
Display technology | - | HyperCrystal LCD AR (Anti-Reflective) coating |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder type | None | Electronic (optional) |
Features | ||
Min shutter speed | 30s | 60s |
Max shutter speed | 1/4000s | 1/2000s |
Max quiet shutter speed | 1/16000s | - |
Continuous shutter rate | 60.0 frames/s | 3.0 frames/s |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manually set exposure | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
Set WB | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Built-in flash | ||
Flash range | 5.00 m (ISO 100) | 10.00 m |
Flash options | Auto, auto + red-eye reduction, fill-flash, fill-flash w/slow sync, rear curtain sync, rear curtain w/slow sync, redeye reduction, redeye reduction w/slow sync, off | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) |
Hot shoe | ||
AE bracketing | ||
White balance bracketing | ||
Max flash synchronize | - | 1/160s |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment metering | ||
Average metering | ||
Spot metering | ||
Partial metering | ||
AF area metering | ||
Center weighted metering | ||
Video features | ||
Supported video resolutions | 1920 x 1080 (60p, 30p), 1472 x 984 (60p, 30p) | 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) |
Max video resolution | 1920x1080 | 1280x720 |
Video data format | MPEG-4, H.264 | Motion JPEG |
Mic port | ||
Headphone port | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | Built-In | None |
Bluetooth | ||
NFC | ||
HDMI | ||
USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
GPS | None | None |
Physical | ||
Environment sealing | ||
Water proof | ||
Dust proof | ||
Shock proof | ||
Crush proof | ||
Freeze proof | ||
Weight | 232g (0.51 lb) | 334g (0.74 lb) |
Physical dimensions | 100 x 60 x 29mm (3.9" x 2.4" x 1.1") | 115 x 72 x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO Overall 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 | 290 shots |
Style of battery | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
Battery model | EN-EL22 | BLS-1 |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 10 secs) | Yes (2 or 12 sec) |
Time lapse recording | ||
Storage type | microSD/SDHC/SDXC | SD/SDHC |
Card slots | 1 | 1 |
Price at release | $600 | $599 |