Olympus E-PL1 vs Ricoh GR

Below is a comprehensive analysis of the Olympus E-PL1 vs Ricoh GR, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Large Sensor Compact by companies Olympus and Ricoh. There is a sizable difference among the image resolutions of the E-PL1 (12MP) and GR (16MP) and the E-PL1 (Four Thirds) and GR (APS-C) come with different sensor sizes.

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The E-PL1 was revealed 3 years before the GR and that is a fairly significant difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Ricoh GR being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before getting through a step-by-step comparison, below is a brief synopsis of how the E-PL1 matches up versus the GR with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus PEN E-PL1 & Ricoh GR. The full galleries are provided at Olympus E-PL1 Gallery & Ricoh GR Gallery.

When you are intending to lug around your camera regularly, you should take into account its weight and size. The Olympus E-PL1 offers physical measurements of 115mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") having a weight of 334 grams (0.74 lbs) while the Ricoh GR has specifications of 117mm x 61mm x 35mm (4.6" x 2.4" x 1.4") and a weight of 245 grams (0.54 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-PL1 vs Ricoh GR in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you are employing at the time. Following is the front view measurement comparison of the E-PL1 against the GR.

Using size and weight, the portability score of the E-PL1 and GR is 86 and 90 respectively.

Often, its difficult to visualize the gap in sensor measurements purely by going through specs. The visual underneath might offer you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-PL1 and GR.

All in all, both of those cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-PL1 using its smaller sensor is going to make shooting bokeh more challenging and the Ricoh GR will provide more detail because of its extra 4MP. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop photographs much more aggressively. The older E-PL1 will be behind with regard to sensor innovation.