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Olympus E-600 vs Olympus E-PM2

Portability
71
Imaging
47
Features
50
Overall
48
Olympus E-600 front
 
Olympus PEN E-PM2 front
Portability
89
Imaging
52
Features
63
Overall
56

Olympus E-600 vs Olympus E-PM2 Key Specs

Olympus E-600
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.7" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 515g - 130 x 94 x 60mm
  • Launched August 2009
Olympus E-PM2
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 269g - 110 x 64 x 34mm
  • Released May 2013
  • Earlier Model is Olympus E-PM1
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Olympus E-600 vs Olympus E-PM2 Overview

Let's take a closer look at the Olympus E-600 and Olympus E-PM2, one being a Entry-Level DSLR and the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and both are produced by Olympus. There exists a significant gap among the resolutions of the E-600 (12MP) and E-PM2 (16MP) but both cameras offer the identical sensor size (Four Thirds).

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The E-600 was unveiled 4 years prior to the E-PM2 and that is a fairly sizable gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-600 being a Compact SLR camera and the Olympus E-PM2 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving straight to a step-by-step comparison, here is a simple introduction of how the E-600 scores against the E-PM2 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-600 over the Olympus E-PM2

 E-600 E-PM2 
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Selfie screen Take selfies

Reasons to pick Olympus E-PM2 over the Olympus E-600

 E-PM2 E-600 
ReleasedMay 2013August 2009More recent by 45 months
Screen size3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution460k230kSharper screen (+230k dot)
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-600 and Olympus E-PM2

 E-600 E-PM2 
Manual focus Dial precise focus

Olympus E-600 vs Olympus E-PM2 Physical Comparison

If you are planning to lug around your camera frequently, you will need to take into account its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-600 comes with outer dimensions of 130mm x 94mm x 60mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.4") with a weight of 515 grams (1.14 lbs) while the Olympus E-PM2 has measurements of 110mm x 64mm x 34mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.3") with a weight of 269 grams (0.59 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-600 and Olympus E-PM2 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you have attached at that time. The following is a front view physical size comparison of the E-600 compared to the E-PM2.

Olympus E-600 vs Olympus E-PM2 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-600 and E-PM2 is 71 and 89 respectively.

Olympus E-600 vs Olympus E-PM2 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-600 vs Olympus E-PM2 Sensor Comparison

Normally, its hard to visualize the contrast in sensor measurements purely by looking through technical specs. The visual underneath should provide you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the E-600 and E-PM2.

As you have seen, the two cameras feature the identical sensor size albeit different megapixels. You should expect the Olympus E-PM2 to result in greater detail having an extra 4MP. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop shots way more aggressively. The older E-600 will be behind in sensor technology.

Olympus E-600 vs Olympus E-PM2 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-600 vs Olympus E-PM2 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-600 vs Olympus E-PM2 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-600
Portrait photography with Olympus E-PM2
60
you can focus manually
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with face detection autofocus
saves RAW formats
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
71
manual focus
MP count decent (16MP)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
provides face detection focusing
saves RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-600 Street photography details
Olympus E-PM2 Street photography details
76
fully articulated screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
79
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
comes with focus via touch
very good high ISO (25,600)
screen is fixed
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-600
Sports photography with Olympus E-PM2
48
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports phase detect autofocus
max frames per second very slow (4.0 frames/s)
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
bad battery (500 shots)
66
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
provides tracking autofocus
doesn't have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-600 Travel photography advice
Olympus E-PM2 Travel photography advice
53
built-in flash
selfie friendly display
missing Time Lapse function
bad battery (500 CIPA)
sensor resolution low (12MP)
66
comes with focus via touch
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
does not have Timelapse function
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-600
Landscape photography with Olympus E-PM2
53
you can focus manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
screen is small (2.7 inch)
sensor resolution low (12MP)
bad battery (500 CIPA)
missing Time Lapse function
74
manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a decent size (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
very good high ISO (25,600)
saves RAW files
does not have Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-600 Vlogging advice
Olympus E-PM2 Vlogging advice
18
no video recording
36
touchscreen functionality
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
provides face detection focusing
great video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
does not have external microphone port
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-600 vs Olympus E-PM2 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-600 and Olympus E-PM2
 Olympus E-600Olympus PEN E-PM2
General Information
Brand Olympus Olympus
Model Olympus E-600 Olympus PEN E-PM2
Class Entry-Level DSLR Entry-Level Mirrorless
Launched 2009-08-30 2013-05-21
Body design Compact SLR Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic III+ -
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Four Thirds
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 17.3 x 13mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 224.9mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 16MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3
Full resolution 4032 x 3024 4608 x 3456
Max native ISO 3200 25600
Minimum native ISO 100 200
RAW support
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Number of focus points 7 35
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Number of lenses 45 107
Focal length multiplier 2.1 2.1
Screen
Screen type Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Screen size 2.7 inches 3 inches
Screen resolution 230 thousand dot 460 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Screen tech HyperCrystal LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentamirror) Electronic (optional)
Viewfinder coverage 95% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.48x -
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60s 60s
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000s 1/4000s
Continuous shooting speed 4.0fps 8.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 12.00 m 7.00 m (bundled FL-LM1)
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Front curtain, Rear curtain, Fill-in, Manual Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels)
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Maximum flash sync 1/180s 1/250s
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution None 1920x1080
Video file format - MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 515 grams (1.14 lb) 269 grams (0.59 lb)
Physical dimensions 130 x 94 x 60mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.4") 110 x 64 x 34mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 55 72
DXO Color Depth score 21.5 22.7
DXO Dynamic range score 10.3 12.2
DXO Low light score 541 932
Other
Battery life 500 images 360 images
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLS-1 BLS-5
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots One One
Cost at launch $0 $448