Olympus E-PL1 vs Olympus SP-100

Here, we are matching up the Olympus E-PL1 vs Olympus SP-100, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom and both are designed by Olympus. There is a huge difference between the resolutions of the E-PL1 (12MP) and SP-100 (16MP) and the E-PL1 (Four Thirds) and SP-100 (1/2.3") offer totally different sensor sizes.

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The E-PL1 was unveiled 4 years earlier than the SP-100 and that is quite a significant gap as far as tech is concerned. Both the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-PL1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus SP-100 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before we go into a comprehensive comparison, here is a brief view of how the E-PL1 grades versus the SP-100 for portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Following is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus PEN E-PL1 and Olympus Stylus SP-100. The full galleries are available at Olympus E-PL1 Gallery and Olympus SP-100 Gallery.

If you are looking to carry your camera, you'll need to factor its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-PL1 enjoys outside 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) and the Olympus SP-100 has measurements of 122mm x 91mm x 133mm (4.8" x 3.6" x 5.2") with a weight of 594 grams (1.31 lbs).

See the Olympus E-PL1 vs Olympus SP-100 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you have chosen at that moment. Below is a front view over all size comparison of the E-PL1 versus the SP-100.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL1 and SP-100 is 86 and 63 respectively.

In many cases, it is hard to see the difference between sensor sizing merely by looking at technical specs. The visual below will give you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PL1 and SP-100.

As you have seen, both the cameras come with different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-PL1 with its larger sensor will make achieving shallow depth of field simpler and the Olympus SP-100 will give more detail having an extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will let you crop photos a good deal more aggressively. The older E-PL1 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor tech.