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Olympus E-PL1 vs Olympus SZ-31MR iHS

Portability
86
Imaging
47
Features
43
Overall
45
Olympus PEN E-PL1 front
 
Olympus SZ-31MR iHS front
Portability
89
Imaging
39
Features
47
Overall
42

Olympus E-PL1 vs Olympus SZ-31MR iHS 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
  • Released May 2010
  • Replacement is Olympus E-PL1s
Olympus SZ-31MR iHS
(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
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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.

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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.

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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 
IntroducedFebruary 2012May 2010Newer by 21 months
Screen dimensions3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution920k230kSharper 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 typeFixed 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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Olympus E-PL1 vs Olympus SZ-31MR iHS size comparison

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 top view buttons comparison

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 sensor size comparison

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

Olympus E-PL1 vs Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL1 Portrait photography highlights
Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Portrait photography highlights
60
focusing manually
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
features face detect autofocus
supports RAW files
MP count low (12MP)
34
good MP (16 megapixels)
supports face detection autofocus
manual focus not available
manual mode not possible
can't use external flash
small sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-PL1
Street photography with Olympus SZ-31MR iHS
74
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
screen is fixed
64
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
provides touch to focus
lighter than competition (226 grams)
no moving screen
small sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL1 Sports photography advice
Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Sports photography advice
44
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
features tracking focus
painfully slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames per second)
MP count low (12MP)
not so great battery pack (290 per charge)
lacks phase detect autofocus
44
excellent zoom range (25-600mm 24.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
good MP (16MP)
supports tracking autofocus
no shutter priority
small sensor (1/2.3")
not so great battery life (200 shots)
does not have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL1 Travel photography advice
Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Travel photography advice
51
built-in flash
no Time Lapse mode
not so great battery pack (290 shots)
MP count low (12MP)
screen isn't selfie friendly
67
lighter than competition (226g)
provides touch to focus
good MP (16MP)
built-in flash
relatively wide (25mm)
great reach (600mm)
missing Timelapse function
not so great battery life (200 shots)
display is not selfie friendly
slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL1 Landscape photography information
Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Landscape photography information
55
focusing manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
small screen (2.7")
MP count low (12 megapixels)
not so great battery pack (290 per charge)
no Time Lapse mode
41
relatively wide (25mm)
screen size is good (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
good MP (16MP)
manual focus not available
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
manual mode not possible
small sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
not so great battery life (200 per charge)
missing Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL1 Vlogging information
Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Vlogging information
29
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
features face detect autofocus
screen isn't selfie friendly
low quality video (1280 x 720 pxls)
no mic socket
35
relatively wide (25mm)
screen is touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
supports face detection autofocus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lighter than competition (226g)
slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
display is not selfie friendly
missing external microphone socket
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Olympus E-PL1 vs Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL1 and Olympus SZ-31MR iHS
 Olympus PEN E-PL1Olympus 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