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Olympus E-M5 III vs Olympus E-PL1s

Portability
80
Imaging
62
Features
88
Overall
72
Olympus OM-D E-M5 III front
 
Olympus PEN E-PL1s front
Portability
86
Imaging
47
Features
43
Overall
45

Olympus E-M5 III vs Olympus E-PL1s Key Specs

Olympus E-M5 III
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 4096 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 414g - 125 x 85 x 50mm
  • Announced October 2019
  • Previous Model is Olympus E-M5 II
  • Refreshed by OM System OM-5
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
  • Introduced November 2010
  • Earlier Model is Olympus E-PL1
  • Later Model is Olympus E-PL2
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Olympus E-M5 III vs Olympus E-PL1s Overview

Below is a in-depth analysis of the Olympus E-M5 III and Olympus E-PL1s, one being a Advanced Mirrorless and the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and both of them are manufactured by Olympus. There exists a significant gap among the sensor resolutions of the E-M5 III (20MP) and E-PL1s (12MP) but they come with the exact same sensor measurements (Four Thirds).

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The E-M5 III was released 9 years later than the E-PL1s and that is a fairly sizable gap 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-PL1s being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before delving through a in depth comparison, below is a concise highlight of how the E-M5 III matches up vs the E-PL1s when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 III over the Olympus E-PL1s

 E-M5 III E-PL1s 
IntroducedOctober 2019November 2010More recent by 109 months
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen dimension3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution1040k230kClearer screen (+810k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL1s over the Olympus E-M5 III

 E-PL1s E-M5 III 

Common features in the Olympus E-M5 III and Olympus E-PL1s

 E-M5 III E-PL1s 
Manually focus Very accurate focusing

Olympus E-M5 III vs Olympus E-PL1s Physical Comparison

In case you're intending to lug around your camera, you are going to need to factor its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-M5 III features exterior dimensions 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-PL1s has proportions of 115mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") accompanied by a weight of 334 grams (0.74 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-M5 III and Olympus E-PL1s in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you have at the time. Here is the front view scale comparison of the E-M5 III and the E-PL1s.

Olympus E-M5 III vs Olympus E-PL1s size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-M5 III and E-PL1s is 80 and 86 respectively.

Olympus E-M5 III vs Olympus E-PL1s top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M5 III vs Olympus E-PL1s Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it's tough to see the contrast in sensor measurements purely by researching technical specs. The graphic below may provide you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-M5 III and E-PL1s.

As you can tell, the 2 cameras posses the exact same sensor measurements albeit not the same resolution. You should count on the Olympus E-M5 III to result in greater detail as a result of its extra 8 Megapixels. Higher resolution will allow you to crop photographs somewhat more aggressively. The newer E-M5 III is going to have an advantage with regard to sensor tech.

Olympus E-M5 III vs Olympus E-PL1s sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M5 III vs Olympus E-PL1s Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M5 III vs Olympus E-PL1s Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-M5 III
Portrait photography with Olympus E-PL1s
77
you can focus manually
sensor resolution is decent (20 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports face detect autofocus
delivers RAW formats
60
manual focus
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
offers face detection focus
supports RAW files
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-M5 III
Street photography with Olympus E-PL1s
83
screen can move to multiple angles
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
has focus via touch
environment proof
above average high ISO (25,600)
74
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
screen does not articulate
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M5 III Sports photography information
Olympus E-PL1s Sports photography information
76
high shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
silent shooting (1/32,000 seconds)
fast shooting (30.0 fps)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor resolution is decent (20 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports tracking focus
environment proof
has phase detect autofocus
low battery life (310 CIPA)
44
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
offers tracking autofocus
continuous shooting slow (3.0 fps)
low megapixels (12MP)
bad battery pack (290 shots)
does not have phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M5 III Travel photography advice
Olympus E-PL1s Travel photography advice
77
environment proof
supports bluetooth
has focus via touch
sensor resolution is decent (20MP)
selfie friendly screen
low battery life (310 CIPA)
51
built-in flash
no Timelapse recording
bad battery pack (290 per charge)
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
does not have a selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-M5 III
Landscape photography with Olympus E-PL1s
77
you can focus manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice screen size (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor resolution is decent (20MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
above average high ISO (25,600)
delivers RAW formats
environment proof
low battery life (310 shots)
55
manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
screen is small (2.7 inches)
low megapixels (12MP)
bad battery pack (290 per charge)
no Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M5 III Vlogging factors
Olympus E-PL1s Vlogging factors
84
selfie friendly screen
touchscreen enabled
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
supports face detect autofocus
high res video (4096 x 2160 pxls)
has microphone socket
29
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
offers face detection focus
does not have a selfie friendly screen
video quality not great (1280 x 720 resolution)
no external microphone socket
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Olympus E-M5 III vs Olympus E-PL1s Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M5 III and Olympus E-PL1s
 Olympus OM-D E-M5 IIIOlympus PEN E-PL1s
General Information
Brand Olympus Olympus
Model Olympus OM-D E-M5 III Olympus PEN E-PL1s
Type Advanced Mirrorless Entry-Level Mirrorless
Announced 2019-10-17 2010-11-16
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic VIII Truepic V
Sensor type MOS 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 20 megapixel 12 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 5184 x 3888 4032 x 3024
Max native ISO 25600 6400
Minimum native ISO 200 100
RAW data
Minimum enhanced ISO 64 -
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Number of focus points 121 11
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Number of lenses 107 107
Crop factor 2.1 2.1
Screen
Type of screen Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Screen size 3 inches 2.7 inches
Resolution of screen 1,040k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Screen tech - HyperCrystal LCD AR (Anti-Reflective) coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic Electronic (optional)
Viewfinder resolution 2,360k dots -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.68x -
Features
Min shutter speed 60s 60s
Max shutter speed 1/8000s 1/2000s
Max silent shutter speed 1/32000s -
Continuous shutter rate 30.0fps 3.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range no built-in flash 10.00 m
Flash modes Auto, redeye, fill, off, redeye slow sync, slow sync, 2nd-curtain slow sync, manual Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels)
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Max flash synchronize 1/250s 1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 4096 x 2160 @ 24p / 237 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 4096x2160 1280x720
Video file format MPEG-4, H.264 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 414 grams (0.91 lbs) 334 grams (0.74 lbs)
Dimensions 125 x 85 x 50mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 2.0") 115 x 72 x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 310 shots 290 shots
Battery type Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLN-1 BLS-1
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-II supported) SD/SDHC
Card slots One One
Launch price $1,199 $599