Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus E-PL2

Its time to examine more in depth at the Olympus E-M1 and Olympus E-PL2, former is a Pro Mirrorless while the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and they are both sold by Olympus. There is a substantial difference among the sensor resolutions of the E-M1 (16MP) and E-PL2 (12MP) but they use the exact same sensor measurements (Four Thirds).

Photography Glossary

The E-M1 was unveiled 2 years after the E-PL2 which is a fairly big difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-M1 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus E-PL2 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving straight into a in-depth comparison, below is a brief synopsis of how the E-M1 grades against the E-PL2 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

This is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus OM-D E-M1 & Olympus PEN E-PL2. The full galleries are provided at Olympus E-M1 Gallery & Olympus E-PL2 Gallery.

If you're going to travel with your camera, you're going to have to take into account its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-M1 has got external dimensions of 130mm x 94mm x 63mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.5") accompanied by a weight of 497 grams (1.10 lbs) and the Olympus E-PL2 has proportions of 114mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") with a weight of 362 grams (0.80 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-M1 and Olympus E-PL2 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you select at that moment. Underneath is the front view measurement comparison of the E-M1 versus the E-PL2.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability rating of the E-M1 and E-PL2 is 71 and 85 respectively.

Usually, it can be difficult to picture the gap in sensor dimensions only by checking out specs. The image below will help provide you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-M1 and E-PL2.

As you can plainly see, both of the cameras have got the exact same sensor measurements but different resolution. You can expect to see the Olympus E-M1 to provide more detail having an extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also let you crop photos much more aggressively. The newer E-M1 should have an edge when it comes to sensor technology.