Olympus E-PL1 vs Olympus E-PL7

Let's look more closely at the Olympus E-PL1 vs Olympus E-PL7, both Entry-Level Mirrorless digital cameras and they are both offered by Olympus. There exists a big gap between the sensor resolutions of the E-PL1 (12MP) and E-PL7 (16MP) but both cameras boast the same sensor sizes (Four Thirds).

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The E-PL1 was brought out 5 years prior to the E-PL7 and that is quite a big gap as far as technology is concerned. Each of the cameras have the same body design (Rangefinder-style mirrorless).

Before diving straight to a thorough comparison, here is a short overview of how the E-PL1 matches up against the E-PL7 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus PEN E-PL1 and Olympus PEN E-PL7. The entire galleries are available at Olympus E-PL1 Gallery and Olympus E-PL7 Gallery.

In case you're aiming to lug around your camera, you'll need to factor its weight and size. The Olympus E-PL1 offers exterior dimensions of 115mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") along with a weight of 334 grams (0.74 lbs) while the Olympus E-PL7 has specifications of 115mm x 67mm x 38mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 1.5") having a weight of 357 grams (0.79 lbs).

See the Olympus E-PL1 vs Olympus E-PL7 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you select at that moment. Following is a front view physical size comparison of the E-PL1 against the E-PL7.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-PL1 and E-PL7 is 86 and 86 respectively.

Quite often, it is tough to envision the difference between sensor measurements simply by checking technical specs. The photograph here will give you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PL1 and E-PL7.

As you can tell, each of these cameras provide the same sensor dimensions albeit not the same MP. You should expect the Olympus E-PL7 to give you greater detail having its extra 4MP. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop pictures more aggressively. The older E-PL1 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor technology.