Olympus E-510 vs Olympus E-PL1s

Below, we are evaluating the Olympus E-510 vs Olympus E-PL1s, one being a Advanced DSLR and the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and both of them are offered by Olympus. The image resolution of the E-510 (10MP) and the E-PL1s (12MP) is very close and they possess the exact same sensor sizes (Four Thirds).

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The E-510 was manufactured 4 years prior to the E-PL1s and that is a fairly serious gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-510 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Olympus E-PL1s being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before we go in to a step-by-step comparison, below is a concise view of how the E-510 grades vs the E-PL1s for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus E-510 and Olympus PEN E-PL1s. The entire galleries are available at Olympus E-510 Gallery and Olympus E-PL1s Gallery.

When you are planning to lug around your camera often, you will have to take into account its weight and volume. The Olympus E-510 offers exterior dimensions of 136mm x 92mm x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") with a weight of 490 grams (1.08 lbs) while the Olympus E-PL1s has sizing of 115mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") with a weight of 334 grams (0.74 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-510 vs Olympus E-PL1s in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you are working with at that moment. The following is the front view sizing comparison of the E-510 against the E-PL1s.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-510 and E-PL1s is 69 and 86 respectively.

Normally, its difficult to envision the difference in sensor measurements merely by researching a spec sheet. The visual below will give you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-510 and E-PL1s.

As you can see, the 2 cameras have got the exact same sensor measurements but not the same megapixels. You should expect to see the Olympus E-PL1s to render greater detail due to its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also enable you to crop images much more aggressively. The older E-510 will be behind when it comes to sensor tech.