Olympus E-PL1 vs Olympus SZ-31MR iHS
86 Imaging
47 Features
43 Overall
45


89 Imaging
39 Features
47 Overall
42
Olympus E-PL1 vs Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Key Specs
(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
- Released May 2010
- Replacement is Olympus E-PL1s
(Full Review)
- 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Screen
- ISO 80 - 6400
- Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
- 1920 x 1080 video
- 25-600mm (F3.0-6.9) lens
- 226g - 106 x 69 x 40mm
- Introduced February 2012

Olympus E-PL1 vs Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Overview
On this page, we will be looking at the Olympus E-PL1 versus Olympus SZ-31MR iHS, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom and they are both produced by Olympus. There exists a sizable gap among the sensor resolutions of the E-PL1 (12MP) and SZ-31MR iHS (16MP) and the E-PL1 (Four Thirds) and SZ-31MR iHS (1/2.3") offer totally different sensor measurements.

The E-PL1 was manufactured 21 months prior to the SZ-31MR iHS which makes them a generation away from one another. Both of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS being a Compact camera.
Before going right into a in depth comparison, here is a short overview of how the E-PL1 matches up versus the SZ-31MR iHS when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Olympus E-PL1 vs Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Gallery
Following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus PEN E-PL1 & Olympus SZ-31MR iHS. The entire galleries are provided at Olympus E-PL1 Gallery & Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL1 over the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS
E-PL1 | SZ-31MR iHS | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Manually focus | ![]() | Very precise focusing |
Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-31MR iHS over the Olympus E-PL1
SZ-31MR iHS | E-PL1 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Introduced | February 2012 | ![]() | May 2010 | Newer by 21 months |
Screen dimensions | 3" | ![]() | 2.7" | Bigger screen (+0.3") |
Screen resolution | 920k | ![]() | 230k | Sharper screen (+690k dot) |
Touch screen | ![]() | Quickly navigate |
Common features in the Olympus E-PL1 and Olympus SZ-31MR iHS
E-PL1 | SZ-31MR iHS | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Screen type | Fixed | ![]() | Fixed | Fixed screen |
Selfie screen | ![]() | No selfie screen |
Olympus E-PL1 vs Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Physical Comparison
For anyone who is aiming to travel with your camera often, you're going to have to factor its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-PL1 has got exterior dimensions of 115mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") accompanied by a weight of 334 grams (0.74 lbs) while the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS has dimensions of 106mm x 69mm x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") and a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs).
See the Olympus E-PL1 versus Olympus SZ-31MR iHS in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you use at the time. Below is a front view proportions comparison of the E-PL1 versus the SZ-31MR iHS.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL1 and SZ-31MR iHS is 86 and 89 respectively.

Olympus E-PL1 vs Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Sensor Comparison
Quite often, its difficult to see the contrast in sensor dimensions merely by checking out technical specs. The pic here will give you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PL1 and SZ-31MR iHS.
As you have seen, the two cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The E-PL1 because of its bigger sensor will make shooting bokeh simpler and the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS will provide more detail due to its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop pictures more aggressively. The more aged E-PL1 will be behind with regard to sensor technology.

Olympus E-PL1 vs Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL1 vs Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Specifications
Olympus PEN E-PL1 | Olympus SZ-31MR iHS | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Brand Name | Olympus | Olympus |
Model type | Olympus PEN E-PL1 | Olympus SZ-31MR iHS |
Category | Entry-Level Mirrorless | Small Sensor Superzoom |
Released | 2010-05-17 | 2012-02-08 |
Physical type | Rangefinder-style mirrorless | Compact |
Sensor Information | ||
Chip | Truepic V | Dual TruePic V |
Sensor type | CMOS | BSI-CMOS |
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 | 12 megapixel | 16 megapixel |
Anti alias filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 | 4:3 and 16:9 |
Highest Possible resolution | 4032 x 3024 | 4608 x 3456 |
Maximum native ISO | 3200 | 6400 |
Lowest native ISO | 100 | 80 |
RAW files | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Manual focusing | ||
Autofocus touch | ||
Continuous autofocus | ||
Autofocus single | ||
Autofocus tracking | ||
Autofocus selectice | ||
Center weighted autofocus | ||
Autofocus multi area | ||
Live view autofocus | ||
Face detect focus | ||
Contract detect focus | ||
Phase detect focus | ||
Total focus points | 11 | - |
Cross type focus points | - | - |
Lens | ||
Lens support | Micro Four Thirds | fixed lens |
Lens zoom range | - | 25-600mm (24.0x) |
Maximal aperture | - | f/3.0-6.9 |
Macro focusing range | - | 1cm |
Amount of lenses | 107 | - |
Focal length multiplier | 2.1 | 5.8 |
Screen | ||
Type of display | Fixed Type | Fixed Type |
Display diagonal | 2.7" | 3" |
Resolution of display | 230k dots | 920k dots |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch operation | ||
Display tech | HyperCrystal LCD AR (Anti-Reflective) coating | Hypercrystal III TFT Color LCD |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder | Electronic (optional) | None |
Features | ||
Minimum shutter speed | 60 seconds | 4 seconds |
Fastest shutter speed | 1/2000 seconds | 1/1700 seconds |
Continuous shutter rate | 3.0 frames per second | 7.0 frames per second |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manually set exposure | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | - |
Change white balance | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Inbuilt flash | ||
Flash distance | 10.00 m | 9.30 m |
Flash options | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in |
External flash | ||
AE bracketing | ||
WB bracketing | ||
Fastest flash synchronize | 1/160 seconds | - |
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) | 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 180 (30fps) |
Maximum video resolution | 1280x720 | 1920x1080 |
Video file format | Motion JPEG | MPEG-4, H.264 |
Microphone 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 | ||
Environmental sealing | ||
Water proofing | ||
Dust proofing | ||
Shock proofing | ||
Crush proofing | ||
Freeze proofing | ||
Weight | 334 grams (0.74 lbs) | 226 grams (0.50 lbs) |
Physical dimensions | 115 x 72 x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") | 106 x 69 x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" 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 photos | 200 photos |
Battery type | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
Battery ID | BLS-1 | LI-50B |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes (2 or 12 sec, pet auto shutter) |
Time lapse recording | ||
Storage type | SD/SDHC card | SD/SDHC/SDXC |
Card slots | 1 | 1 |
Price at release | $288 | $0 |