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Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus E-PL1s

Portability
71
Imaging
53
Features
85
Overall
65
Olympus OM-D E-M1 front
 
Olympus PEN E-PL1s front
Portability
86
Imaging
48
Features
43
Overall
46

Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus E-PL1s Key Specs

Olympus E-M1
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 497g - 130 x 94 x 63mm
  • Introduced October 2013
  • Refreshed by Olympus E-M1 II
Olympus E-PL1s
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 334g - 115 x 72 x 42mm
  • Released November 2010
  • Old Model is Olympus E-PL1
  • Updated by Olympus E-PL2
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Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus E-PL1s Overview

Below, we will be analyzing the Olympus E-M1 versus Olympus E-PL1s, former is a Pro Mirrorless while the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and they are both manufactured by Olympus. There exists a large gap between the sensor resolutions of the E-M1 (16MP) and E-PL1s (12MP) but they enjoy the exact same sensor sizing (Four Thirds).

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The E-M1 was introduced 2 years after the E-PL1s which is quite a serious difference as far as technology is concerned. The two cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-M1 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus E-PL1s being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before going through a in depth comparison, below is a brief summation of how the E-M1 scores vs the E-PL1s for portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus E-M1 over the Olympus E-PL1s

 E-M1 E-PL1s 
ReleasedOctober 2013November 2010More modern by 36 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen dimension3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution1037k230kClearer screen (+807k dot)
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL1s over the Olympus E-M1

 E-PL1s E-M1 

Common features in the Olympus E-M1 and Olympus E-PL1s

 E-M1 E-PL1s 
Manual focus Very accurate focus
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen

Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus E-PL1s Physical Comparison

For anybody who is intending to carry around your camera often, you'll need to factor its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-M1 offers exterior measurements of 130mm x 94mm x 63mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.5") having a weight of 497 grams (1.10 lbs) and the Olympus E-PL1s has dimensions of 115mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") accompanied by a weight of 334 grams (0.74 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-M1 versus Olympus E-PL1s in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you are utilising at the time. Below is the front view scale comparison of the E-M1 and the E-PL1s.

Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus E-PL1s size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-M1 and E-PL1s is 71 and 86 respectively.

Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus E-PL1s top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus E-PL1s Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it is difficult to see the gap between sensor sizes just by checking technical specs. The pic underneath will help offer you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the E-M1 and E-PL1s.

As you can tell, both of these cameras posses the exact same sensor measurements albeit not the same MP. You can count on the Olympus E-M1 to resolve more detail using its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop photographs somewhat more aggressively. The fresher E-M1 will have an advantage with regard to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus E-PL1s sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus E-PL1s Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus E-PL1s Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Portrait photography information
Olympus E-PL1s Portrait photography information
71
focusing manually
high flash sync speed (1/320 seconds)
good megapixels (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
offers face detect focus
exports RAW formats
60
has manual focus
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
includes face detection focus
exports RAW formats
MP count low (12 megapixels)
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Street photography advice
Olympus E-PL1s Street photography advice
78
screen tilts up and down
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
has touch to focus
environment proofing
lighter than competition (497 grams)
very good ISO range (25,600)
74
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
screen is fixed
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Sports photography factors
Olympus E-PL1s Sports photography factors
70
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000 seconds)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good megapixels (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
offers tracking focus
environment proofing
has phase detect auto focus
terrible battery power (350 shots)
45
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
includes tracking autofocus
slow fps (3.0 frames per second)
MP count low (12 megapixels)
terrible battery power (290 CIPA)
no phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Travel photography features
Olympus E-PL1s Travel photography features
65
lighter than competition (497g)
environment proofing
has touch to focus
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
terrible battery power (350 CIPA)
display is not selfie friendly
52
built-in flash
no Time Lapse recording
terrible battery power (290 per charge)
MP count low (12MP)
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Landscape photography highlights
Olympus E-PL1s Landscape photography highlights
73
focusing manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice screen size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good megapixels (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
very good ISO range (25,600)
exports RAW formats
environment proofing
terrible battery power (350 per charge)
55
has manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
tiny screen (2.7 inch)
MP count low (12MP)
terrible battery power (290 per charge)
no Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Vlogging highlights
Olympus E-PL1s Vlogging highlights
36
touch screen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
offers face detect focus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
has mic port
lighter than competition (497g)
display is not selfie friendly
30
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
includes face detection focus
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
low res video (1280 x 720 pixels)
no external mic socket
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Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus E-PL1s Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M1 and Olympus E-PL1s
 Olympus OM-D E-M1Olympus PEN E-PL1s
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Olympus
Model type Olympus OM-D E-M1 Olympus PEN E-PL1s
Type Pro Mirrorless Entry-Level Mirrorless
Introduced 2013-10-28 2010-11-16
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Chip TruePIC VII Truepic V
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Four Thirds
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 17.3 x 13mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 224.9mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 12 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4608 x 3456 4032 x 3024
Max native ISO 25600 6400
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW data
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points 81 11
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Amount of lenses 107 107
Focal length multiplier 2.1 2.1
Screen
Type of display Tilting Fixed Type
Display sizing 3 inch 2.7 inch
Resolution of display 1,037 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Display technology - HyperCrystal LCD AR (Anti-Reflective) coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic Electronic (optional)
Viewfinder resolution 2,360 thousand dots -
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.74x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 seconds 60 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/8000 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 10.0 frames/s 3.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 10.00 m
Flash options Flash Auto, Redeye, Fill-in, Flash Off, Red-eye Slow sync (1st curtain), Slow sync (1st curtain), Slow sync (2nd curtain), Manual Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels)
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/320 seconds 1/160 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video data format H.264, Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 497 gr (1.10 lbs) 334 gr (0.74 lbs)
Dimensions 130 x 94 x 63mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.5") 115 x 72 x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 73 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 23.0 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.7 not tested
DXO Low light rating 757 not tested
Other
Battery life 350 photographs 290 photographs
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLN-1 BLS-1
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC
Card slots One One
Retail cost $799 $599