Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic ZS15

Below is a extensive analysis of the Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic ZS15, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by companies Olympus and Panasonic. The image resolution of the E-PL1 (12MP) and the ZS15 (12MP) is pretty similar but the E-PL1 (Four Thirds) and ZS15 (1/2.3") boast different sensor sizes.

Photography Glossary

The E-PL1 was introduced 3 years before the ZS15 and that is quite a serious difference as far as technology is concerned. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic ZS15 being a Compact camera.

Before getting into a full comparison, here is a short synopsis of how the E-PL1 matches up versus the ZS15 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus PEN E-PL1 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS15. The whole galleries are viewable at Olympus E-PL1 Gallery & Panasonic ZS15 Gallery.

For anybody who is looking to lug around your camera, you will need to take into account its weight and volume. The Olympus E-PL1 enjoys physical 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) whilst the Panasonic ZS15 has sizing of 105mm x 58mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3") accompanied by a weight of 208 grams (0.46 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic ZS15 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you are working with during that time. Following is a front view dimension comparison of the E-PL1 vs the ZS15.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-PL1 and ZS15 is 86 and 92 respectively.

Normally, it's difficult to visualize the difference between sensor measurements just by reading a spec sheet. The photograph below will help offer you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PL1 and ZS15.

As you can see, the 2 cameras provide the same megapixels albeit different sensor measurements. The E-PL1 uses the bigger sensor which will make obtaining shallower DOF simpler. The older E-PL1 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor tech.