Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic ZS20

Its time to look a bit more closely at the Olympus E-P1 and Panasonic ZS20, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. The image resolution of the E-P1 (12MP) and the ZS20 (14MP) is relatively similar but the E-P1 (Four Thirds) and ZS20 (1/2.3") offer totally different sensor measurements.

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The E-P1 was manufactured 3 years earlier than the ZS20 and that is quite a serious gap as far as tech is concerned. The two cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-P1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic ZS20 being a Compact camera.

Before going into a more detailed comparison, here is a short synopsis of how the E-P1 grades versus the ZS20 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus PEN E-P1 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20. The entire galleries are available at Olympus E-P1 Gallery and Panasonic ZS20 Gallery.

For those who are planning to lug around your camera often, you will need to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-P1 comes with exterior 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 Panasonic ZS20 has dimensions of 105mm x 59mm x 28mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.1") and a weight of 206 grams (0.45 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-P1 and Panasonic ZS20 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you have chosen at that moment. Underneath is a front view dimension comparison of the E-P1 vs the ZS20.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability score of the E-P1 and ZS20 is 86 and 92 respectively.

Generally, it's difficult to visualise the gap between sensor measurements merely by going over specs. The visual below should offer you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-P1 and ZS20.

As you can plainly see, the 2 cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-P1 due to its bigger sensor will make achieving shallow DOF easier and the Panasonic ZS20 will offer greater detail due to its extra 2MP. Higher resolution will enable you to crop photographs a good deal more aggressively. The older E-P1 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.