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Olympus E-PL1 vs Olympus SZ-15

Portability
86
Imaging
47
Features
43
Overall
45
Olympus PEN E-PL1 front
 
Olympus SZ-15 front
Portability
88
Imaging
40
Features
50
Overall
44

Olympus E-PL1 vs Olympus SZ-15 Key Specs

Olympus E-PL1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 334g - 115 x 72 x 42mm
  • Revealed May 2010
  • Later Model is Olympus E-PL1s
Olympus SZ-15
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 23-483mm (F2.8-5.9) lens
  • 250g - 108 x 70 x 40mm
  • Released June 2013
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Olympus E-PL1 vs Olympus SZ-15 Overview

Following is a in depth analysis of the Olympus E-PL1 and Olympus SZ-15, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom and both of them are created by Olympus. There is a sizeable difference among the image resolutions of the E-PL1 (12MP) and SZ-15 (16MP) and the E-PL1 (Four Thirds) and SZ-15 (1/2.3") enjoy totally different sensor size.

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The E-PL1 was revealed 4 years prior to the SZ-15 which is a fairly large gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus SZ-15 being a Compact camera.

Before getting in to a step-by-step comparison, below is a brief synopsis of how the E-PL1 grades against the SZ-15 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL1 over the Olympus SZ-15

 E-PL1 SZ-15 

Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-15 over the Olympus E-PL1

 SZ-15 E-PL1 
ReleasedJune 2013May 2010More modern by 37 months
Display dimension3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution460k230kCrisper display (+230k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-PL1 and Olympus SZ-15

 E-PL1 SZ-15 
Manual focus Very exact focus
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Absent selfie screen
Touch friendly display Neither has Touch friendly display

Olympus E-PL1 vs Olympus SZ-15 Physical Comparison

In case you're looking to carry around your camera often, you will want to factor in its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-PL1 has external dimensions of 115mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") and a weight of 334 grams (0.74 lbs) while the Olympus SZ-15 has measurements of 108mm x 70mm x 40mm (4.3" x 2.8" x 1.6") with a weight of 250 grams (0.55 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-PL1 and Olympus SZ-15 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you are utilising during that time. Following is the front view measurements comparison of the E-PL1 vs the SZ-15.

Olympus E-PL1 vs Olympus SZ-15 size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL1 and SZ-15 is 86 and 88 respectively.

Olympus E-PL1 vs Olympus SZ-15 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL1 vs Olympus SZ-15 Sensor Comparison

Usually, its difficult to visualise the gap in sensor sizes purely by going through a spec sheet. The image underneath will help provide you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PL1 and SZ-15.

As you can see, each of the cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The E-PL1 with its larger sensor will make shooting bokeh less difficult and the Olympus SZ-15 will produce more detail because of its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also enable you to crop images much more aggressively. The more aged E-PL1 will be behind in sensor tech.

Olympus E-PL1 vs Olympus SZ-15 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL1 vs Olympus SZ-15 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL1 vs Olympus SZ-15 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL1 Portrait photography features
Olympus SZ-15 Portrait photography features
60
manual focus
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
comes with face detection focus
supports RAW formats
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
44
you can focus manually
megapixel count decent (16MP)
has face detect focusing
external flash not possible
sensor is small (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL1 Street photography factors
Olympus SZ-15 Street photography factors
74
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
screen is fixed
60
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competitors (250 grams)
screen does not articulate
sensor is small (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL1 Sports photography highlights
Olympus SZ-15 Sports photography highlights
44
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
comes with tracking autofocus
slow frames per second (3.0 frames/s)
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
not so great battery pack (290 per charge)
no phase detect auto focus
53
incredible zoom range (23-483mm 21.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count decent (16MP)
has tracking focus
sensor is small (1/2.3")
has no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL1 Travel photography features
Olympus SZ-15 Travel photography features
51
built-in flash
does not have Time Lapse recording
not so great battery pack (290 shots)
sensor resolution low (12MP)
does not posses selfie friendly screen
68
lighter than competitors (250g)
megapixel count decent (16MP)
flash built-in
reasonably wide (23mm)
very long reach (483mm)
does not have Timelapse recording
does not have a selfie friendly screen
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
Photography Glossary

Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL1 Landscape photography info
Olympus SZ-15 Landscape photography info
55
manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
small screen (2.7")
sensor resolution low (12MP)
not so great battery pack (290 shots)
does not have Time Lapse recording
49
you can focus manually
reasonably wide (23mm)
nice screen size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
does not have Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL1 Vlogging info
Olympus SZ-15 Vlogging info
29
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
comes with face detection focus
does not posses selfie friendly screen
video resolution low (1280 x 720 resolution)
does not have external mic support
34
reasonably wide (23mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
has face detect focusing
video res high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than competitors (250 grams)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
does not have a selfie friendly screen
does not have microphone socket
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Olympus E-PL1 vs Olympus SZ-15 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL1 and Olympus SZ-15
 Olympus PEN E-PL1Olympus SZ-15
General Information
Make Olympus Olympus
Model type Olympus PEN E-PL1 Olympus SZ-15
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Superzoom
Revealed 2010-05-17 2013-06-21
Physical type 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 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 16MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 4032 x 3024 4608 x 3456
Max native ISO 3200 3200
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Total focus points 11 -
Cross type focus points - -
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 23-483mm (21.0x)
Max aperture - f/2.8-5.9
Macro focusing distance - 5cm
Available lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.8
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 2.7" 3"
Resolution of screen 230k dots 460k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Screen tech HyperCrystal LCD AR (Anti-Reflective) coating LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) None
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 secs 8 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/2000 secs
Continuous shutter rate 3.0 frames per second 10.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 10.00 m 3.50 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize 1/160 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (30fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 480fps (176 x 128), 240fps (384 x 288)
Max video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video format Motion JPEG AVI MPEG4, Motion JPEG
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 334g (0.74 lbs) 250g (0.55 lbs)
Dimensions 115 x 72 x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") 108 x 70 x 40mm (4.3" x 2.8" x 1.6")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 54 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 21.5 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.1 not tested
DXO Low light rating 487 not tested
Other
Battery life 290 pictures -
Form of battery Battery Pack -
Battery ID BLS-1 SLB-10A
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, Double)
Time lapse feature
Storage type SD/SDHC card SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots One One
Price at release $288 $200