Olympus E-P1 vs Olympus E-PL9
86 Imaging
46 Features
42 Overall
44


85 Imaging
55 Features
78 Overall
64
Olympus E-P1 vs Olympus E-PL9 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
- 3" Fixed Display
- ISO 100 - 6400
- Sensor based Image Stabilization
- 1280 x 720 video
- Micro Four Thirds Mount
- 355g - 121 x 70 x 36mm
- Launched July 2009
- New Model is Olympus E-P2
(Full Review)
- 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
- 3" Tilting Display
- ISO 200 - 6400 (Boost to 25600)
- Sensor based Image Stabilization
- 3840 x 2160 video
- Micro Four Thirds Mount
- 380g - 117 x 68 x 39mm
- Introduced February 2018
- Succeeded the Olympus E-PL8

Olympus E-P1 vs Olympus E-PL9 Overview
Its time to look a little more closely at the Olympus E-P1 versus Olympus E-PL9, both Entry-Level Mirrorless digital cameras and both of them are sold by Olympus. There exists a large gap between the resolutions of the E-P1 (12MP) and E-PL9 (16MP) but both cameras offer the same sensor size (Four Thirds).

The E-P1 was manufactured 9 years earlier than the E-PL9 and that is quite a serious difference as far as technology is concerned. Each of these cameras have the same body design (Rangefinder-style mirrorless).
Before we go straight to a thorough comparison, here is a quick summation of how the E-P1 scores against the E-PL9 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Olympus E-P1 vs Olympus E-PL9 Gallery
Following is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus PEN E-P1 & Olympus PEN E-PL9. The entire galleries are viewable at Olympus E-P1 Gallery & Olympus E-PL9 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-P1 over the Olympus E-PL9
E-P1 | E-PL9 |
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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL9 over the Olympus E-P1
E-PL9 | E-P1 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Introduced | February 2018 | ![]() | July 2009 | More recent by 103 months |
Display type | Tilting | ![]() | Fixed | Tilting display |
Display resolution | 1040k | ![]() | 230k | Clearer display (+810k dot) |
Touch friendly display | ![]() | Easily navigate |
Common features in the Olympus E-P1 and Olympus E-PL9
E-P1 | E-PL9 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Focus manually | ![]() | Very exact focusing | ||
Display dimensions | 3" | ![]() | 3" | Equal display size |
Selfie screen | ![]() | No selfie screen |
Olympus E-P1 vs Olympus E-PL9 Physical Comparison
If you're intending to lug around your camera, you're going to have to consider its weight and size. The Olympus E-P1 has outer measurements of 121mm x 70mm x 36mm (4.8" x 2.8" x 1.4") having a weight of 355 grams (0.78 lbs) and the Olympus E-PL9 has specifications of 117mm x 68mm x 39mm (4.6" x 2.7" x 1.5") and a weight of 380 grams (0.84 lbs).
Check out the Olympus E-P1 versus Olympus E-PL9 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Remember that, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you choose at that moment. Following is a front view sizing comparison of the E-P1 compared to the E-PL9.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-P1 and E-PL9 is 86 and 85 respectively.

Olympus E-P1 vs Olympus E-PL9 Sensor Comparison
Normally, it's difficult to visualize the gap between sensor measurements simply by looking at a spec sheet. The photograph here will provide you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-P1 and E-PL9.
As you can see, each of the cameras have the same sensor dimensions but different resolution. You can expect to see the Olympus E-PL9 to give more detail due to its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also let you crop images a bit more aggressively. The older E-P1 is going to be behind in sensor innovation.

Olympus E-P1 vs Olympus E-PL9 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-P1 vs Olympus E-PL9 Specifications
Olympus PEN E-P1 | Olympus PEN E-PL9 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Brand | Olympus | Olympus |
Model | Olympus PEN E-P1 | Olympus PEN E-PL9 |
Category | Entry-Level Mirrorless | Entry-Level Mirrorless |
Launched | 2009-07-29 | 2018-02-08 |
Physical type | Rangefinder-style mirrorless | Rangefinder-style mirrorless |
Sensor Information | ||
Powered by | TruePic V | TruePic VIII |
Sensor type | CMOS | CMOS |
Sensor size | Four Thirds | Four Thirds |
Sensor measurements | 17.3 x 13mm | 17.3 x 13mm |
Sensor surface area | 224.9mm² | 224.9mm² |
Sensor resolution | 12 megapixel | 16 megapixel |
Anti aliasing filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 |
Max resolution | 4032 x 3024 | 4608 x 3456 |
Max native ISO | 6400 | 6400 |
Max enhanced ISO | - | 25600 |
Min native ISO | 100 | 200 |
RAW support | ||
Min enhanced ISO | - | 100 |
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
Touch to focus | ||
Continuous AF | ||
AF single | ||
AF tracking | ||
AF selectice | ||
AF center weighted | ||
AF multi area | ||
Live view AF | ||
Face detect AF | ||
Contract detect AF | ||
Phase detect AF | ||
Number of focus points | 11 | 121 |
Lens | ||
Lens mount | Micro Four Thirds | Micro Four Thirds |
Number of lenses | 107 | 107 |
Focal length multiplier | 2.1 | 2.1 |
Screen | ||
Type of display | Fixed Type | Tilting |
Display diagonal | 3 inch | 3 inch |
Resolution of display | 230 thousand dots | 1,040 thousand dots |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch functionality | ||
Display tech | HyperCrystal LCD with AR(Anti-Reflective) coating | - |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder type | None | Electronic (optional) |
Features | ||
Min shutter speed | 60 secs | 60 secs |
Max shutter speed | 1/4000 secs | 1/4000 secs |
Max quiet shutter speed | - | 1/16000 secs |
Continuous shutter rate | 3.0fps | 8.6fps |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manual mode | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
Set WB | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Inbuilt flash | ||
Flash range | no built-in flash | 7.60 m (at ISO 200) |
Flash settings | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) | Auto, manual, redeye reduction, slow sync w/redeye reduction, slow sync , slow sync 2nd-curtain, fill-in, off |
External flash | ||
AEB | ||
White balance bracketing | ||
Max flash synchronize | 1/180 secs | - |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment exposure | ||
Average exposure | ||
Spot exposure | ||
Partial exposure | ||
AF area exposure | ||
Center weighted exposure | ||
Video features | ||
Supported video resolutions | 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) | 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 102 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM |
Max video resolution | 1280x720 | 3840x2160 |
Video format | Motion JPEG | MPEG-4, H.264 |
Microphone port | ||
Headphone port | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | None | Built-In |
Bluetooth | ||
NFC | ||
HDMI | ||
USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
GPS | None | None |
Physical | ||
Environmental sealing | ||
Water proof | ||
Dust proof | ||
Shock proof | ||
Crush proof | ||
Freeze proof | ||
Weight | 355 grams (0.78 lb) | 380 grams (0.84 lb) |
Physical dimensions | 121 x 70 x 36mm (4.8" x 2.8" x 1.4") | 117 x 68 x 39mm (4.6" x 2.7" x 1.5") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO Overall score | 55 | not tested |
DXO Color Depth score | 21.4 | not tested |
DXO Dynamic range score | 10.4 | not tested |
DXO Low light score | 536 | not tested |
Other | ||
Battery life | 300 shots | 350 shots |
Battery type | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
Battery model | BLS-1 | - |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom) |
Time lapse recording | ||
Storage type | SD/SDHC card | SD/SDHC/SDXC card (UHS-I supported) |
Card slots | One | One |
Pricing at release | $182 | $599 |