Olympus E-M5 III vs Olympus E-PL1

Let's examine more in depth at the Olympus E-M5 III and Olympus E-PL1, former being a Advanced Mirrorless while the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and both are sold by Olympus. There exists a substantial gap among the sensor resolutions of the E-M5 III (20MP) and E-PL1 (12MP) but they enjoy the exact same sensor dimensions (Four Thirds).

Photography Glossary

The E-M5 III was announced 9 years later than the E-PL1 and that is a fairly big difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-M5 III being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus E-PL1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before we go through a detailed comparison, below is a simple highlight of how the E-M5 III grades versus the E-PL1 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Below is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus OM-D E-M5 III & Olympus PEN E-PL1. The whole galleries are provided at Olympus E-M5 III Gallery & Olympus E-PL1 Gallery.

In case you're aiming to carry your camera often, you'll need to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-M5 III has external measurements of 125mm x 85mm x 50mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 2.0") having a weight of 414 grams (0.91 lbs) while the Olympus E-PL1 has dimensions of 115mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") having a weight of 334 grams (0.74 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-M5 III and Olympus E-PL1 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you select at that moment. Below is the front view dimensions comparison of the E-M5 III vs the E-PL1.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-M5 III and E-PL1 is 80 and 86 respectively.

Normally, its tough to visualize the gap in sensor sizing only by going through a spec sheet. The graphic below will help provide you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the E-M5 III and E-PL1.

Clearly, each of the cameras have got the exact same sensor measurements albeit different MP. You can expect the Olympus E-M5 III to provide more detail with its extra 8MP. Higher resolution will help you crop shots much more aggressively. The more recent E-M5 III should have an edge in sensor innovation.