Olympus FE-4000 vs Olympus E-PL1

In this article, we will be contrasting the Olympus FE-4000 and Olympus E-PL1, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and both of them are built by Olympus. The image resolution of the FE-4000 (12MP) and the E-PL1 (12MP) is pretty comparable but the FE-4000 (1/2.3") and E-PL1 (Four Thirds) come with totally different sensor size.

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The FE-4000 was released 9 months prior to the E-PL1 so they are of a similar age. Both of the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus FE-4000 being a Compact camera and the Olympus E-PL1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before going straight into a more detailed comparison, below is a simple summation of how the FE-4000 scores versus the E-PL1 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

The following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus FE-4000 & Olympus PEN E-PL1. The complete galleries are viewable at Olympus FE-4000 Gallery & Olympus E-PL1 Gallery.

If you are going to carry around your camera frequently, you will need to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Olympus FE-4000 features physical dimensions of 95mm x 57mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") with a weight of 136 grams (0.30 lbs) and the Olympus E-PL1 has dimensions of 115mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") with a weight of 334 grams (0.74 lbs).

Compare the Olympus FE-4000 and Olympus E-PL1 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you are utilizing at the time. Here is the front view over all size comparison of the FE-4000 vs the E-PL1.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the FE-4000 and E-PL1 is 95 and 86 respectively.

Typically, its tough to visualise the contrast in sensor sizes just by going through a spec sheet. The picture below might provide you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the FE-4000 and E-PL1.

Clearly, the 2 cameras offer the same exact megapixels albeit not the same sensor sizes. The FE-4000 has the smaller sensor which should make getting shallow DOF tougher. The more aged FE-4000 will be behind in sensor innovation.