Olympus E-PL1 vs Olympus VH-515

Its time to look a bit more in depth at the Olympus E-PL1 and Olympus VH-515, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact and both are offered by Olympus. The resolution of the E-PL1 (12MP) and the VH-515 (12MP) is relatively close but the E-PL1 (Four Thirds) and VH-515 (1/2.3") use different sensor measurements.

Photography Glossary

The E-PL1 was introduced 3 years before the VH-515 which is a fairly serious gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus VH-515 being a Compact camera.

Before going through a step-by-step comparison, below is a simple introduction of how the E-PL1 grades against the VH-515 for portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus PEN E-PL1 and Olympus VH-515. The whole galleries are available at Olympus E-PL1 Gallery and Olympus VH-515 Gallery.

If you're looking to travel with your camera regularly, you should think about its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-PL1 has external measurements 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 VH-515 has measurements of 102mm x 60mm x 21mm (4.0" x 2.4" x 0.8") with a weight of 152 grams (0.34 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-PL1 and Olympus VH-515 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you are utilizing at the time. Here is the front view scale comparison of the E-PL1 vs the VH-515.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL1 and VH-515 is 86 and 95 respectively.

More often than not, it can be hard to visualize the difference in sensor dimensions simply by researching a spec sheet. The picture below will help provide you a clearer sense of the sensor measurements in the E-PL1 and VH-515.

As you can see, both of these cameras posses the exact same megapixels albeit different sensor dimensions. The E-PL1 has the bigger sensor which will make getting shallower depth of field simpler. The more aged E-PL1 will be behind when it comes to sensor innovation.