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Olympus E-PL1 vs Olympus SZ-10

Portability
86
Imaging
47
Features
43
Overall
45
Olympus PEN E-PL1 front
 
Olympus SZ-10 front
Portability
90
Imaging
37
Features
36
Overall
36

Olympus E-PL1 vs Olympus SZ-10 Key Specs

Olympus E-PL1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 334g - 115 x 72 x 42mm
  • Introduced May 2010
  • Refreshed by Olympus E-PL1s
Olympus SZ-10
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 1600
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-504mm (F3.1-4.4) lens
  • 215g - 106 x 67 x 38mm
  • Released February 2011
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Olympus E-PL1 vs Olympus SZ-10 Overview

Lets look more closely at the Olympus E-PL1 vs Olympus SZ-10, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom and they are both built by Olympus. The resolution of the E-PL1 (12MP) and the SZ-10 (14MP) is pretty comparable but the E-PL1 (Four Thirds) and SZ-10 (1/2.3") possess totally different sensor sizing.

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The E-PL1 was released 8 months earlier than the SZ-10 which means that they are both of a similar age. Both of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus SZ-10 being a Compact camera.

Before going straight into a step-by-step comparison, below is a brief view of how the E-PL1 matches up against the SZ-10 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL1 over the Olympus SZ-10

 E-PL1 SZ-10 
Manual focus Dial accurate focusing

Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-10 over the Olympus E-PL1

 SZ-10 E-PL1 
ReleasedFebruary 2011May 2010Fresher by 8 months
Screen dimension3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution460k230kCrisper screen (+230k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-PL1 and Olympus SZ-10

 E-PL1 SZ-10 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Neither comes with selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Neither comes with Touch friendly screen

Olympus E-PL1 vs Olympus SZ-10 Physical Comparison

If you're planning to carry your camera frequently, you'll have to think about its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-PL1 comes with exterior dimensions of 115mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") with a weight of 334 grams (0.74 lbs) whilst the Olympus SZ-10 has dimensions of 106mm x 67mm x 38mm (4.2" x 2.6" x 1.5") and a weight of 215 grams (0.47 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-PL1 vs Olympus SZ-10 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you use at that time. The following is the front view overall size comparison of the E-PL1 versus the SZ-10.

Olympus E-PL1 vs Olympus SZ-10 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-PL1 and SZ-10 is 86 and 90 respectively.

Olympus E-PL1 vs Olympus SZ-10 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL1 vs Olympus SZ-10 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it's difficult to visualise the difference in sensor sizing only by seeing a spec sheet. The graphic underneath may offer you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL1 and SZ-10.

As you can see, both of the cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-PL1 featuring a bigger sensor will make getting shallower DOF less difficult and the Olympus SZ-10 will show extra detail as a result of its extra 2MP. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop shots somewhat more aggressively. The older E-PL1 will be behind with regard to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-PL1 vs Olympus SZ-10 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL1 vs Olympus SZ-10 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL1 vs Olympus SZ-10 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL1 as a Portrait photography camera
Olympus SZ-10 as a Portrait photography camera
60
manual focus
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
comes with face detection focus
supports RAW files
low megapixels (12MP)
33
MP count good (14MP)
supports face detect focus
lack of manual focus
no manual control
no external flash support
small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL1 Street photography factors
Olympus SZ-10 Street photography factors
74
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
no moving screen
60
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than average (215 grams)
screen does not articulate
small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL1 Sports photography highlights
Olympus SZ-10 Sports photography highlights
44
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
comes with tracking autofocus
max frames per second very slow (3.0 frames per second)
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
low battery pack (290 CIPA)
lack of phase detect auto focus
40
great zoom range (28-504mm 18.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
MP count good (14 megapixels)
supports tracking focus
slow fps (1.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority mode
small sensor (1/2.3")
low battery (220 per charge)
has no phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL1 as a Travel photography camera
Olympus SZ-10 as a Travel photography camera
51
has built in flash
no Time Lapse function
low battery pack (290 CIPA)
low megapixels (12MP)
display isn't selfie friendly
65
lighter than average (215 grams)
MP count good (14 megapixels)
has built in flash
relatively wide (28mm)
very long zoom (504mm)
does not have Time Lapse recording
low battery (220 CIPA)
display isn't selfie friendly
slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL1 Landscape photography features
Olympus SZ-10 Landscape photography features
55
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
screen is somewhat small (2.7 inch)
low megapixels (12MP)
low battery pack (290 per charge)
no Time Lapse function
40
relatively wide (28mm)
screen is a good size (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
MP count good (14MP)
lack of manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
no manual control
small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
low battery (220 CIPA)
does not have Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL1 Vlogging highlights
Olympus SZ-10 Vlogging highlights
29
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
comes with face detection focus
display isn't selfie friendly
low res video (1280 x 720 pxls)
no external mic support
31
relatively wide (28mm)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
supports face detect focus
lighter than average (215 grams)
slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
display isn't selfie friendly
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pixels)
does not have mic socket
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Olympus E-PL1 vs Olympus SZ-10 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL1 and Olympus SZ-10
 Olympus PEN E-PL1Olympus SZ-10
General Information
Make Olympus Olympus
Model Olympus PEN E-PL1 Olympus SZ-10
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Superzoom
Introduced 2010-05-17 2011-02-08
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Truepic V TruePic III+
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 14 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3 and 16:9
Full resolution 4032 x 3024 4288 x 3216
Max native ISO 3200 1600
Minimum native ISO 100 80
RAW files
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch focus
AF continuous
Single AF
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Number of focus points 11 -
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 28-504mm (18.0x)
Maximal aperture - f/3.1-4.4
Macro focus distance - 1cm
Available lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.8
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display diagonal 2.7 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 230 thousand dots 460 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Display technology HyperCrystal LCD AR (Anti-Reflective) coating TFT Color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) None
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 seconds 4 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 3.0 frames per second 1.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 10.00 m 7.10 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/160 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30, 15fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15fps)
Max video resolution 1280x720 1280x720
Video data format Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 334 grams (0.74 lb) 215 grams (0.47 lb)
Dimensions 115 x 72 x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") 106 x 67 x 38mm (4.2" x 2.6" x 1.5")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 54 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 21.5 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 10.1 not tested
DXO Low light score 487 not tested
Other
Battery life 290 images 220 images
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLS-1 LI-50B
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC card SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots Single Single
Retail price $288 $300