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Olympus E-M10 III vs Olympus E-PL1s

Portability
80
Imaging
55
Features
75
Overall
63
Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III front
 
Olympus PEN E-PL1s front
Portability
86
Imaging
48
Features
43
Overall
46

Olympus E-M10 III vs Olympus E-PL1s Key Specs

Olympus E-M10 III
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 410g - 122 x 84 x 50mm
  • Introduced August 2017
  • Older Model is Olympus E-M10 II
  • Successor is Olympus E-M10 IV
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
  • Announced November 2010
  • Superseded the Olympus E-PL1
  • Updated by Olympus E-PL2
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Olympus E-M10 III vs Olympus E-PL1s Overview

Following is a thorough analysis of the Olympus E-M10 III vs Olympus E-PL1s, both Entry-Level Mirrorless cameras and both of them are offered by Olympus. There is a noticeable difference among the sensor resolutions of the E-M10 III (16MP) and E-PL1s (12MP) but they enjoy the exact same sensor measurements (Four Thirds).

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The E-M10 III was announced 6 years after the E-PL1s which is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera tech is concerned. The two cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-M10 III being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus E-PL1s being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving in to a detailed comparison, below is a brief introduction of how the E-M10 III matches up against the E-PL1s in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M10 III over the Olympus E-PL1s

 E-M10 III E-PL1s 
AnnouncedAugust 2017November 2010More modern by 83 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen dimension3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution1040k230kSharper screen (+810k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL1s over the Olympus E-M10 III

 E-PL1s E-M10 III 

Common features in the Olympus E-M10 III and Olympus E-PL1s

 E-M10 III E-PL1s 
Manually focus More accurate focus
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen

Olympus E-M10 III vs Olympus E-PL1s Physical Comparison

For those who are aiming to carry around your camera frequently, you are going to need to take into account its weight and volume. The Olympus E-M10 III features exterior measurements of 122mm x 84mm x 50mm (4.8" x 3.3" x 2.0") and a weight of 410 grams (0.90 lbs) whilst the Olympus E-PL1s has sizing of 115mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") having a weight of 334 grams (0.74 lbs).

See the Olympus E-M10 III vs Olympus E-PL1s in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you select during that time. Here is the front view proportions comparison of the E-M10 III vs the E-PL1s.

Olympus E-M10 III vs Olympus E-PL1s size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability score of the E-M10 III and E-PL1s is 80 and 86 respectively.

Olympus E-M10 III vs Olympus E-PL1s top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M10 III vs Olympus E-PL1s Sensor Comparison

Generally, it is tough to envision the gap in sensor sizes only by researching specs. The image here might give you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the E-M10 III and E-PL1s.

As you can plainly see, both of the cameras posses the exact same sensor measurements albeit not the same megapixels. You can count on the Olympus E-M10 III to render extra detail with its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop photographs somewhat more aggressively. The more recent E-M10 III is going to have an advantage with regard to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-M10 III vs Olympus E-PL1s sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M10 III vs Olympus E-PL1s Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M10 III vs Olympus E-PL1s Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M10 III Portrait photography highlights
Olympus E-PL1s Portrait photography highlights
73
manual focus
resolution is good (16MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
supports face detect focusing
saves RAW files
60
has manual focus
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
provides face detect focusing
exports RAW formats
MP count low (12MP)
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M10 III as a Street photography camera
Olympus E-PL1s as a Street photography camera
77
screen tilts up and down
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
offers touch to focus
good ISO range (25,600)
more heavy than competition in class (410g)
74
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
fixed screen
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M10 III as a Sports photography camera
Olympus E-PL1s as a Sports photography camera
69
quiet shooting (1/16,000s)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
supports tracking focus
has no phase detect AF
45
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
provides tracking focus
max frames per second low (3.0 fps)
MP count low (12 megapixels)
bad battery power (290 shots)
does not have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-M10 III
Travel photography with Olympus E-PL1s
67
offers touch to focus
resolution is good (16MP)
flash built-in
more heavy than competition in class (410g)
display isn't selfie friendly
52
built-in flash
no Timelapse recording
bad battery power (290 per charge)
MP count low (12MP)
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M10 III Landscape photography information
Olympus E-PL1s Landscape photography information
80
manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a good size (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
resolution is good (16MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
good ISO range (25,600)
saves RAW files
55
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
screen is small (2.7 inch)
MP count low (12MP)
bad battery power (290 shots)
no Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M10 III Vlogging information
Olympus E-PL1s Vlogging information
32
touchscreen capability
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
supports face detect focusing
high quality video (3840 x 2160 pxls)
display isn't selfie friendly
lack of microphone jack
more heavy than competition in class (410 grams)
30
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
provides face detect focusing
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
low res video (1280 x 720 resolution)
no microphone support
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Olympus E-M10 III vs Olympus E-PL1s Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M10 III and Olympus E-PL1s
 Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark IIIOlympus PEN E-PL1s
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Olympus
Model type Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III Olympus PEN E-PL1s
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Entry-Level Mirrorless
Introduced 2017-08-31 2010-11-16
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic VIII Truepic V
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Four Thirds
Sensor measurements 17.4 x 13mm 17.3 x 13mm
Sensor area 226.2mm² 224.9mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 12MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4608 x 3456 4032 x 3024
Highest native ISO 25600 6400
Lowest native ISO 200 100
RAW pictures
Lowest boosted ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points 121 11
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Available lenses 107 107
Focal length multiplier 2.1 2.1
Screen
Display type Tilting Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3 inches 2.7 inches
Resolution of display 1,040k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Display tech - HyperCrystal LCD AR (Anti-Reflective) coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic Electronic (optional)
Viewfinder resolution 2,360k dots -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.62x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60s 60s
Highest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/2000s
Highest quiet shutter speed 1/16000s -
Continuous shooting rate 8.6 frames per sec 3.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 5.80 m (at ISO 100) 10.00 m
Flash modes Auto, redeye, slow sync, 2nd-curtain slow sync, redeye slow sync, fill-in, manual, off Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels)
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/250s 1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 102 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 3840x2160 1280x720
Video file format MPEG-4, H.264 Motion JPEG
Microphone support
Headphone support
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 410 grams (0.90 pounds) 334 grams (0.74 pounds)
Dimensions 122 x 84 x 50mm (4.8" x 3.3" x 2.0") 115 x 72 x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 330 photographs 290 photographs
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLS-50 BLS-1
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I/II supported) SD/SDHC
Card slots One One
Pricing at launch $650 $599