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Olympus E-P2 vs Panasonic SZ1

Portability
86
Imaging
47
Features
42
Overall
45
Olympus PEN E-P2 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ1 front
Portability
95
Imaging
39
Features
34
Overall
37

Olympus E-P2 vs Panasonic SZ1 Key Specs

Olympus E-P2
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 355g - 121 x 70 x 36mm
  • Introduced April 2010
  • Previous Model is Olympus E-P1
  • Newer Model is Olympus E-P3
Panasonic SZ1
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-250mm (F3.1-5.9) lens
  • 131g - 99 x 59 x 21mm
  • Launched January 2012
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Olympus E-P2 vs Panasonic SZ1 Overview

Its time to look more in depth at the Olympus E-P2 versus Panasonic SZ1, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a substantial gap among the sensor resolutions of the E-P2 (12MP) and SZ1 (16MP) and the E-P2 (Four Thirds) and SZ1 (1/2.3") have different sensor size.

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The E-P2 was announced 20 months before the SZ1 which makes them a generation away from one another. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-P2 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic SZ1 being a Compact camera.

Before getting into a complete comparison, here is a quick summation of how the E-P2 scores against the SZ1 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-P2 over the Panasonic SZ1

 E-P2 SZ1 
Focus manually Very exact focus

Reasons to pick Panasonic SZ1 over the Olympus E-P2

 SZ1 E-P2 
LaunchedJanuary 2012April 2010More modern by 20 months

Common features in the Olympus E-P2 and Panasonic SZ1

 E-P2 SZ1 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen size
Screen resolution230k230kThe same screen resolution
Selfie screen Neither comes with selfie screen
Touch screen Lacking Touch screen

Olympus E-P2 vs Panasonic SZ1 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is going to carry around your camera often, you will need to factor its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-P2 comes with physical measurements of 121mm x 70mm x 36mm (4.8" x 2.8" x 1.4") having a weight of 355 grams (0.78 lbs) while the Panasonic SZ1 has dimensions of 99mm x 59mm x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8") with a weight of 131 grams (0.29 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-P2 versus Panasonic SZ1 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you are employing at that time. Here is a front view overall size comparison of the E-P2 versus the SZ1.

Olympus E-P2 vs Panasonic SZ1 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-P2 and SZ1 is 86 and 95 respectively.

Olympus E-P2 vs Panasonic SZ1 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-P2 vs Panasonic SZ1 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it is very difficult to imagine the gap in sensor sizes merely by checking out technical specs. The image underneath will help provide you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the E-P2 and SZ1.

As you can tell, the two cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The E-P2 with its bigger sensor is going to make shooting shallow DOF easier and the Panasonic SZ1 will provide greater detail with its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will allow you to crop photographs more aggressively. The more aged E-P2 will be disadvantaged in sensor technology.

Olympus E-P2 vs Panasonic SZ1 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-P2 vs Panasonic SZ1 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-P2 vs Panasonic SZ1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-P2
Portrait photography with Panasonic SZ1
60
manual focus
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
has face detection focus
saves RAW formats
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
34
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
has face detect focus
manual focus not available
lack of manual mode
no external flash support
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-P2 Street photography advice
Panasonic SZ1 Street photography advice
74
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
screen does not articulate
63
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition in class (131 grams)
screen does not articulate
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-P2 Sports photography information
Panasonic SZ1 Sports photography information
40
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
painfully slow continuous shooting (3.0 fps)
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
low battery (300 shots)
lack of phase detect auto focus
40
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
has tracking focus
painfully slow continuous shooting (1.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority mode
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-P2 as a Travel photography camera
Panasonic SZ1 as a Travel photography camera
43
doesn't have Timelapse function
low battery (300 shots)
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
70
lighter than competition in class (131 grams)
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
has built in flash
reasonably wide (25mm)
very long zoom (250mm)
lack of Timelapse function
screen isn't selfie friendly
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-P2 Landscape photography details
Panasonic SZ1 Landscape photography details
60
manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
low battery (300 shots)
doesn't have Timelapse function
43
reasonably wide (25mm)
screen is a decent size (3")
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
manual focus not available
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
lack of manual mode
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
lack of Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-P2 as a Vlogging camera
Panasonic SZ1 as a Vlogging camera
29
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
has face detection focus
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
low video resolution (1280 x 720 pixels)
doesn't have external microphone port
32
reasonably wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
has face detect focus
lighter than competition in class (131 grams)
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
screen isn't selfie friendly
low res video (1280 x 720 pxls)
lack of microphone jack
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Olympus E-P2 vs Panasonic SZ1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-P2 and Panasonic SZ1
 Olympus PEN E-P2Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ1
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus PEN E-P2 Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ1
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Introduced 2010-04-22 2012-01-09
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic V -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4032 x 3024 4608 x 3456
Max native ISO 6400 6400
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Manual focus
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Number of focus points 11 23
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 25-250mm (10.0x)
Highest aperture - f/3.1-5.9
Macro focus range - 4cm
Available lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.9
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen sizing 3" 3"
Resolution of screen 230k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Screen tech HyperCrystal LCD with AR(Anti-Reflective) coating TFT Color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) None
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60s 8s
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000s 1/1600s
Continuous shooting speed 3.0 frames/s 1.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range no built-in flash 5.60 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Maximum flash sync 1/180s -
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) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1280x720 1280x720
Video file format Motion JPEG MPEG-4
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 355g (0.78 lb) 131g (0.29 lb)
Physical dimensions 121 x 70 x 36mm (4.8" x 2.8" x 1.4") 99 x 59 x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 56 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 21.5 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 10.4 not tested
DXO Low light score 505 not tested
Other
Battery life 300 pictures 250 pictures
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLS-1 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage media SD/SDHC card SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots 1 1
Cost at launch $799 $179