Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic LX7

Its time to take a more detailed look at the Olympus E-P1 and Panasonic LX7, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Compact by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. The resolution of the E-P1 (12MP) and the LX7 (10MP) is fairly close but the E-P1 (Four Thirds) and LX7 (1/1.7") enjoy different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The E-P1 was introduced 4 years earlier than the LX7 and that is a fairly significant gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-P1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic LX7 being a Compact camera.

Before going in to a in depth comparison, below is a short overview of how the E-P1 matches up against the LX7 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Here is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN E-P1 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX7. The whole galleries are available at Olympus E-P1 Gallery and Panasonic LX7 Gallery.

For those who are intending to carry your camera, you'll have to take into account its weight and volume. The Olympus E-P1 offers outside dimensions of 121mm x 70mm x 36mm (4.8" x 2.8" x 1.4") and a weight of 355 grams (0.78 lbs) while the Panasonic LX7 has sizing of 111mm x 68mm x 46mm (4.4" x 2.7" x 1.8") with a weight of 298 grams (0.66 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-P1 and Panasonic LX7 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you choose at that moment. Below is the front view scale comparison of the E-P1 compared to the LX7.

Considering size and weight, the portability rating of the E-P1 and LX7 is 86 and 86 respectively.

Often, it can be difficult to visualize the gap in sensor sizing just by viewing technical specs. The visual below will help provide you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-P1 and LX7.

As you can tell, both of these cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The E-P1 using its larger sensor is going to make getting bokeh easier and the Olympus E-P1 will result in more detail using its extra 2MP. Greater resolution will also make it easier to crop pics somewhat more aggressively. The older E-P1 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor tech.