Nikon D1X vs Olympus E-PL1

Below is a extended review of the Nikon D1X vs Olympus E-PL1, former being a Pro DSLR while the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by companies Nikon and Olympus. There exists a sizable gap among the resolutions of the D1X (5MP) and E-PL1 (12MP) and the D1X (APS-C) and E-PL1 (Four Thirds) come with totally different sensor size.

Photography Glossary

The D1X was revealed 10 years before the E-PL1 and that is a fairly significant difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Nikon D1X being a Large SLR camera and the Olympus E-PL1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before going in to a more detailed comparison, below is a short view of how the D1X grades versus the E-PL1 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a preview of the gallery photos for Nikon D1X & Olympus PEN E-PL1. The full galleries are available at Nikon D1X Gallery & Olympus E-PL1 Gallery.

In case you're looking to lug around your camera regularly, you should factor in its weight and volume. The Nikon D1X provides outer dimensions of 157mm x 153mm x 85mm (6.2" x 6.0" x 3.3") accompanied by a weight of 1200 grams (2.65 lbs) while the Olympus E-PL1 has sizing of 115mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") and a weight of 334 grams (0.74 lbs).

Analyze the Nikon D1X vs Olympus E-PL1 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you select at the time. Underneath is the front view measurement comparison of the D1X against the E-PL1.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability score of the D1X and E-PL1 is 51 and 86 respectively.

Sometimes, it can be difficult to visualise the difference in sensor measurements simply by going through specs. The photograph below might give you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the D1X and E-PL1.

As you can plainly see, the 2 cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The D1X having a bigger sensor will make shooting shallow DOF less difficult and the Olympus E-PL1 will produce more detail because of its extra 7 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop shots much more aggressively. The older D1X will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.