Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic FZ70

Below is a in-depth comparison of the Olympus E-P1 versus Panasonic FZ70, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. There is a noticeable difference between the sensor resolutions of the E-P1 (12MP) and FZ70 (16MP) and the E-P1 (Four Thirds) and FZ70 (1/2.3") posses totally different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The E-P1 was manufactured 5 years before the FZ70 and that is quite a sizable difference as far as tech is concerned. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-P1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic FZ70 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before going straight to a step-by-step comparison, here is a short highlight of how the E-P1 matches up versus the FZ70 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus PEN E-P1 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ70. The entire galleries are viewable at Olympus E-P1 Gallery & Panasonic FZ70 Gallery.

In case you're planning to lug around your camera frequently, you are going to need to take into account its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-P1 enjoys physical dimensions of 121mm x 70mm x 36mm (4.8" x 2.8" x 1.4") along with a weight of 355 grams (0.78 lbs) while the Panasonic FZ70 has measurements of 130mm x 97mm x 118mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 4.6") along with a weight of 606 grams (1.34 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-P1 versus Panasonic FZ70 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you have chosen during that time. Following is a front view scale comparison of the E-P1 against the FZ70.

Looking at size and weight, the portability score of the E-P1 and FZ70 is 86 and 63 respectively.

Usually, it is hard to see the difference between sensor measurements purely by reading specifications. The graphic underneath may offer you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the E-P1 and FZ70.

Plainly, both of those cameras feature different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-P1 due to its bigger sensor will make shooting shallow DOF less difficult and the Panasonic FZ70 will offer extra detail due to its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop photographs way more aggressively. The older E-P1 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor tech.