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Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus E-PL2

Portability
71
Imaging
53
Features
85
Overall
65
Olympus OM-D E-M1 front
 
Olympus PEN E-PL2 front
Portability
85
Imaging
48
Features
47
Overall
47

Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus E-PL2 Key Specs

Olympus E-M1
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • 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
  • Renewed by Olympus E-M1 II
Olympus E-PL2
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 362g - 114 x 72 x 42mm
  • Introduced February 2011
  • Superseded the Olympus E-PL1s
  • Updated by Olympus E-PL3
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Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus E-PL2 Overview

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).

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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.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M1 over the Olympus E-PL2

 E-M1 E-PL2 
IntroducedOctober 2013February 2011Newer by 33 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display resolution1037k460kSharper display (+577k dot)
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL2 over the Olympus E-M1

 E-PL2 E-M1 

Common features in the Olympus E-M1 and Olympus E-PL2

 E-M1 E-PL2 
Focus manually Dial exact focus
Display dimension3"3"Identical display measurements
Selfie screen Neither contains selfie screen

Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus E-PL2 Physical Comparison

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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus E-PL2 size comparison

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

Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus E-PL2 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus E-PL2 Sensor Comparison

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.

Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus E-PL2 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus E-PL2 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus E-PL2 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Portrait photography info
Olympus E-PL2 Portrait photography info
71
focusing manually
flash sync speed is above average (1/320 seconds)
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
features face detection focus
delivers RAW formats
60
has manual focus
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports face detection autofocus
saves RAW formats
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Street photography highlights
Olympus E-PL2 Street photography highlights
78
tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
has focus by touch
weather proofing
lighter than competitors (497 grams)
good high ISO (25,600)
73
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
screen does not articulate
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Sports photography details
Olympus E-PL2 Sports photography details
70
great max shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
features tracking autofocus
weather proofing
has phase detect auto focus
not so great battery life (350 per charge)
45
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports tracking autofocus
low fps (3.0 frames per second)
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
not so great battery (280 per charge)
has no phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Travel photography details
Olympus E-PL2 Travel photography details
65
lighter than competitors (497 grams)
weather proofing
has focus by touch
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
not so great battery life (350 shots)
does not contain selfie friendly screen
51
has built in flash
does not have Timelapse mode
not so great battery (280 shots)
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-M1
Landscape photography with Olympus E-PL2
73
focusing manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
megapixel count decent (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
good high ISO (25,600)
delivers RAW formats
weather proofing
not so great battery life (350 CIPA)
61
has manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
decent sized screen (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
not so great battery (280 shots)
does not have Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M1 as a Vlogging camera
Olympus E-PL2 as a Vlogging camera
36
touchscreen enabled
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
features face detection focus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
has external mic jack
lighter than competitors (497g)
does not contain selfie friendly screen
29
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
supports face detection autofocus
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
low res video (1280 x 720 resolution)
does not have external microphone jack
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus E-PL2 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M1 and Olympus E-PL2
 Olympus OM-D E-M1Olympus PEN E-PL2
General Information
Brand Olympus Olympus
Model type Olympus OM-D E-M1 Olympus PEN E-PL2
Category Pro Mirrorless Entry-Level Mirrorless
Introduced 2013-10-28 2011-02-11
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Chip TruePIC VII Truepic V
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 16 megapixel 12 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3
Full resolution 4608 x 3456 4032 x 3024
Max native ISO 25600 6400
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW support
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Total focus points 81 11
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Amount of lenses 107 107
Crop factor 2.1 2.1
Screen
Range of screen Tilting Fixed Type
Screen sizing 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 1,037k dot 460k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Screen tech - HyperCrystal LCD AR(Anti-Reflective) coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic Electronic (optional)
Viewfinder resolution 2,360k dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.74x -
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 secs 60 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/8000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 10.0 frames per second 3.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 10.00 m
Flash settings 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)
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash sync 1/320 secs 1/160 secs
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 file format H.264, Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Microphone input
Headphone input
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
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 497 grams (1.10 lb) 362 grams (0.80 lb)
Dimensions 130 x 94 x 63mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.5") 114 x 72 x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 73 55
DXO Color Depth rating 23.0 21.4
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.7 10.2
DXO Low light rating 757 573
Other
Battery life 350 shots 280 shots
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLN-1 BLS-5
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC
Storage slots One One
Cost at launch $799 $0