Olympus E-330 vs Olympus E-PL1

Below is a detailed review of the Olympus E-330 versus Olympus E-PL1, former being a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and both of them are manufactured by Olympus. There exists a sizable gap among the resolutions of the E-330 (7MP) and E-PL1 (12MP) but both cameras provide the identical sensor dimensions (Four Thirds).

Photography Glossary

The E-330 was revealed 5 years before the E-PL1 and that is a fairly significant difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-330 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Olympus E-PL1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before we go straight to a thorough comparison, here is a brief summation of how the E-330 scores against the E-PL1 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus E-330 & Olympus PEN E-PL1. The full galleries are available at Olympus E-330 Gallery & Olympus E-PL1 Gallery.

For anyone who is intending to lug around your camera, you're going to have to think about its weight and volume. The Olympus E-330 provides outer dimensions of 140mm x 87mm x 72mm (5.5" x 3.4" x 2.8") and a weight of 616 grams (1.36 lbs) whilst the Olympus E-PL1 has sizing of 115mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") along with a weight of 334 grams (0.74 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-330 versus Olympus E-PL1 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you have at that moment. Following is a front view scale comparison of the E-330 versus the E-PL1.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-330 and E-PL1 is 65 and 86 respectively.

Quite often, it is difficult to visualize the contrast in sensor measurements simply by seeing technical specs. The photograph underneath should provide you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-330 and E-PL1.

As you have seen, both of those cameras come with the identical sensor size albeit different resolution. You can expect the Olympus E-PL1 to show greater detail because of its extra 5 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also let you crop pictures a good deal more aggressively. The older E-330 will be behind with regard to sensor tech.