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Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus SZ-11

Portability
71
Imaging
53
Features
85
Overall
65
Olympus OM-D E-M1 front
 
Olympus SZ-11 front
Portability
89
Imaging
37
Features
37
Overall
37

Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus SZ-11 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
  • New Model is Olympus E-M1 II
Olympus SZ-11
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 1600
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-500mm (F3.0-6.9) lens
  • 226g - 106 x 69 x 40mm
  • Revealed July 2011
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus SZ-11 Overview

Here is a thorough assessment of the Olympus E-M1 and Olympus SZ-11, one being a Pro Mirrorless and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom and both of them are sold by Olympus. The resolution of the E-M1 (16MP) and the SZ-11 (14MP) is pretty close but the E-M1 (Four Thirds) and SZ-11 (1/2.3") come with totally different sensor size.

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The E-M1 was launched 2 years later than the SZ-11 and that is a fairly significant gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of these cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-M1 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus SZ-11 being a Compact camera.

Before diving in to a comprehensive comparison, below is a short highlight of how the E-M1 matches up vs the SZ-11 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M1 over the Olympus SZ-11

 E-M1 SZ-11 
RevealedOctober 2013July 2011Fresher by 28 months
Manual focus More accurate focusing
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution1037k460kSharper screen (+577k dot)
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-11 over the Olympus E-M1

 SZ-11 E-M1 

Common features in the Olympus E-M1 and Olympus SZ-11

 E-M1 SZ-11 
Screen sizing3"3"Equivalent screen size
Selfie screen Neither provides selfie screen

Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus SZ-11 Physical Comparison

If you are intending to carry your camera, you will need to factor in its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-M1 provides external dimensions 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 SZ-11 has proportions of 106mm x 69mm x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") and a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-M1 and Olympus SZ-11 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you have at the time. The following is the front view proportions comparison of the E-M1 and the SZ-11.

Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus SZ-11 size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability score of the E-M1 and SZ-11 is 71 and 89 respectively.

Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus SZ-11 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus SZ-11 Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, it is difficult to visualise the gap in sensor sizing only by looking through technical specs. The graphic underneath might provide you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-M1 and SZ-11.

As you have seen, the 2 cameras enjoy different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-M1 featuring a bigger sensor will make getting shallow DOF less difficult and the Olympus E-M1 will render greater detail utilizing its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will let you crop photographs far more aggressively. The younger E-M1 is going to have an advantage in sensor tech.

Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus SZ-11 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus SZ-11 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus SZ-11 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Portrait photography info
Olympus SZ-11 Portrait photography info
71
you can focus manually
flash sync is higher than normal (1/320s)
decent MP (16MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
offers face detection focus
saves RAW formats
33
good resolution (14MP)
comes with face detection focus
no manual focus
manual exposure not available
cannot use external flash
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-M1
Street photography with Olympus SZ-11
78
screen tilts up and down
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
features touch to focus
environment proofing
lighter than others in class (497 grams)
above average high ISO (25,600)
60
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than others in class (226 grams)
screen is fixed
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Sports photography factors
Olympus SZ-11 Sports photography factors
70
great max shutter speed (1/8,000s)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent MP (16MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
offers tracking autofocus
environment proofing
supports phase detect auto focus
low battery (350 shots)
43
excellent zoom range (25-500mm 20.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
good resolution (14MP)
comes with tracking autofocus
no shutter priority
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
low battery power (200 per charge)
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M1 as a Travel photography camera
Olympus SZ-11 as a Travel photography camera
65
lighter than others in class (497 grams)
environment proofing
features touch to focus
decent MP (16MP)
low battery (350 CIPA)
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
65
lighter than others in class (226 grams)
good resolution (14MP)
has built in flash
relatively wide (25mm)
long zoom (500mm)
does not have Timelapse mode
low battery power (200 CIPA)
doesn't offer selfie friendly display
slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Landscape photography advice
Olympus SZ-11 Landscape photography advice
73
you can focus manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
above average high ISO (25,600)
saves RAW formats
environment proofing
low battery (350 shots)
40
relatively wide (25mm)
good sized screen (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
good resolution (14 megapixels)
no manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
manual exposure not available
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
low battery power (200 CIPA)
does not have Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Vlogging factors
Olympus SZ-11 Vlogging factors
36
built-in touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
offers face detection focus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
comes with external mic socket
lighter than others in class (497 grams)
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
31
relatively wide (25mm)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
comes with face detection focus
lighter than others in class (226g)
slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
doesn't offer selfie friendly display
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pxls)
does not have external microphone socket
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Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus SZ-11 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M1 and Olympus SZ-11
 Olympus OM-D E-M1Olympus SZ-11
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Olympus
Model Olympus OM-D E-M1 Olympus SZ-11
Category Pro Mirrorless Small Sensor Superzoom
Announced 2013-10-28 2011-07-27
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePIC VII TruePic III+
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 14 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3 and 16:9
Full resolution 4608 x 3456 4288 x 3216
Max native ISO 25600 1600
Lowest native ISO 100 80
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Number of focus points 81 -
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 25-500mm (20.0x)
Highest aperture - f/3.0-6.9
Macro focus distance - 1cm
Number of lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.8
Screen
Type of display Tilting Fixed Type
Display sizing 3" 3"
Display resolution 1,037k dots 460k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Display tech - TFT Color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 2,360k dots -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.74x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60s 4s
Highest shutter speed 1/8000s 1/2000s
Continuous shooting rate 10.0 frames/s 7.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range no built-in flash 9.30 m (@ ISO 1600)
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
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/320s -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30, 15fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video data format H.264, Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Microphone 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
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 497g (1.10 pounds) 226g (0.50 pounds)
Dimensions 130 x 94 x 63mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.5") 106 x 69 x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 73 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 23.0 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 12.7 not tested
DXO Low light score 757 not tested
Other
Battery life 350 pictures 200 pictures
Battery type Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLN-1 LI-50B
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots One One
Price at launch $799 $253