Olympus E-P1 vs Olympus SP-820UZ

Following is a thorough comparison of the Olympus E-P1 vs Olympus SP-820UZ, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom and both of them are built by Olympus. The sensor resolution of the E-P1 (12MP) and the SP-820UZ (14MP) is fairly close but the E-P1 (Four Thirds) and SP-820UZ (1/2.3") enjoy totally different sensor dimensions.

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The E-P1 was announced 4 years before the SP-820UZ which is a fairly sizable gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-P1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus SP-820UZ being a Compact camera.

Before delving straight into a detailed comparison, below is a concise overview of how the E-P1 scores vs the SP-820UZ for portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Here is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN E-P1 and Olympus Stylus SP-820UZ. The whole galleries are provided at Olympus E-P1 Gallery and Olympus SP-820UZ Gallery.

For anybody who is looking to carry around your camera frequently, you need to consider its weight and volume. The Olympus E-P1 has outside measurements of 121mm x 70mm x 36mm (4.8" x 2.8" x 1.4") accompanied by a weight of 355 grams (0.78 lbs) whilst the Olympus SP-820UZ has sizing of 117mm x 78mm x 93mm (4.6" x 3.1" x 3.7") accompanied by a weight of 485 grams (1.07 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-P1 vs Olympus SP-820UZ in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you have at the time. The following is the front view scale comparison of the E-P1 versus the SP-820UZ.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-P1 and SP-820UZ is 86 and 69 respectively.

Sometimes, it can be difficult to envision the contrast in sensor sizes merely by viewing a spec sheet. The picture here will give you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-P1 and SP-820UZ.

As you can see, the 2 cameras offer different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The E-P1 with its larger sensor will make getting shallower DOF simpler and the Olympus SP-820UZ will provide you with greater detail with its extra 2MP. Greater resolution can also enable you to crop photos a little more aggressively. The more aged E-P1 will be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.