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Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus E-PL7

Portability
71
Imaging
53
Features
85
Overall
65
Olympus OM-D E-M1 front
 
Olympus PEN E-PL7 front
Portability
86
Imaging
53
Features
81
Overall
64

Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus E-PL7 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
  • Announced October 2013
  • Replacement is Olympus E-M1 II
Olympus E-PL7
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 357g - 115 x 67 x 38mm
  • Introduced September 2014
  • Superseded the Olympus E-PL6
  • Renewed by Olympus E-PL8
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus E-PL7 Overview

Below is a extensive analysis of the Olympus E-M1 versus Olympus E-PL7, one being a Pro Mirrorless and the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and both are sold by Olympus. The sensor resolution of the E-M1 (16MP) and the E-PL7 (16MP) is relatively comparable and they enjoy the exact same sensor sizing (Four Thirds).

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The E-M1 was launched 10 months earlier than the E-PL7 which means that they are both of a similar generation. Both cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-M1 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus E-PL7 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before going in to a full comparison, below is a brief synopsis of how the E-M1 scores versus the E-PL7 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M1 over the Olympus E-PL7

 E-M1 E-PL7 

Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL7 over the Olympus E-M1

 E-PL7 E-M1 
IntroducedSeptember 2014October 2013More recent by 10 months
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Common features in the Olympus E-M1 and Olympus E-PL7

 E-M1 E-PL7 
Focus manually Very exact focusing
Screen typeTiltingTiltingTilting screen
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen measurement
Screen resolution1037k1037kSame screen resolution
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus E-PL7 Physical Comparison

For those who are aiming to lug around your camera regularly, you will need to factor its weight and size. The Olympus E-M1 provides 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) while the Olympus E-PL7 has specifications of 115mm x 67mm x 38mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 1.5") accompanied by a weight of 357 grams (0.79 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-M1 versus Olympus E-PL7 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you have at the time. The following is the front view over all size comparison of the E-M1 vs the E-PL7.

Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus E-PL7 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-M1 and E-PL7 is 71 and 86 respectively.

Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus E-PL7 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus E-PL7 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it is very tough to imagine the contrast in sensor measurements just by checking out specs. The graphic underneath may provide you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the E-M1 and E-PL7.

As you can plainly see, both of the cameras posses the exact same sensor measurements and the same resolution therefore you should expect comparable quality of pictures though you may want to take the production date of the cameras into account. The older E-M1 will be behind in sensor innovation.

Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus E-PL7 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus E-PL7 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus E-PL7 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Portrait photography information
Olympus E-PL7 Portrait photography information
71
focusing manually
flash sync is higher than normal (1/320s)
good resolution (16MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
includes face detection focus
delivers RAW files
71
has manual focus
megapixel count good (16MP)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
has face detection autofocus
delivers RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M1 as a Street photography camera
Olympus E-PL7 as a Street photography camera
78
has a tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
comes with touch focus
weather proofing
lighter than average in class (497g)
good ISO range (25,600)
84
has a tilting screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
comes with touch focus
good high ISO (25,600)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M1 as a Sports photography camera
Olympus E-PL7 as a Sports photography camera
70
high shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good resolution (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
includes tracking autofocus
weather proofing
comes with phase detect auto focus
low battery life (350 shots)
66
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count good (16MP)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
has tracking autofocus
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-M1
Travel photography with Olympus E-PL7
65
lighter than average in class (497 grams)
weather proofing
comes with touch focus
good resolution (16 megapixels)
low battery life (350 per charge)
display isn't selfie friendly
85
comes with touch focus
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
screen is selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Landscape photography highlights
Olympus E-PL7 Landscape photography highlights
73
focusing manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good resolution (16MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
good ISO range (25,600)
delivers RAW files
weather proofing
low battery life (350 shots)
79
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count good (16MP)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
good high ISO (25,600)
delivers RAW files
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Vlogging info
Olympus E-PL7 Vlogging info
36
has touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
includes face detection focus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
does have external mic jack
lighter than average in class (497g)
display isn't selfie friendly
78
screen is selfie friendly
has touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
has face detection autofocus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
lack of external mic jack
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Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus E-PL7 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M1 and Olympus E-PL7
 Olympus OM-D E-M1Olympus PEN E-PL7
General Information
Company Olympus Olympus
Model Olympus OM-D E-M1 Olympus PEN E-PL7
Class Pro Mirrorless Entry-Level Mirrorless
Announced 2013-10-28 2014-09-01
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Chip TruePIC VII TruePic VII
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Four Thirds
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 17.3 x 13mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 224.9mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 16 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 4608 x 3456 4608 x 3456
Maximum native ISO 25600 25600
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW format
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch focus
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Number of focus points 81 81
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Amount of lenses 107 107
Crop factor 2.1 2.1
Screen
Display type Tilting Tilting
Display diagonal 3 inches 3 inches
Display resolution 1,037 thousand dot 1,037 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic Electronic (optional)
Viewfinder resolution 2,360 thousand dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.74x -
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 seconds 60 seconds
Fastest shutter speed 1/8000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shutter speed 10.0 frames/s 8.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range no built-in flash no built-in flash
Flash modes Flash Auto, Redeye, Fill-in, Flash Off, Red-eye Slow sync (1st curtain), Slow sync (1st curtain), Slow sync (2nd curtain), Manual no built-in flash
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/320 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (30p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video format H.264, Motion JPEG H.264, Motion JPEG
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 497 grams (1.10 pounds) 357 grams (0.79 pounds)
Dimensions 130 x 94 x 63mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.5") 115 x 67 x 38mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 1.5")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 73 72
DXO Color Depth score 23.0 22.7
DXO Dynamic range score 12.7 12.4
DXO Low light score 757 873
Other
Battery life 350 photographs 350 photographs
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLN-1 BLS-50
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC card
Storage slots 1 1
Pricing at release $799 $499