Olympus E-PL1s vs Olympus SZ-10

Following is a detailed assessment of the Olympus E-PL1s and Olympus SZ-10, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom and they are both created by Olympus. The resolution of the E-PL1s (12MP) and the SZ-10 (14MP) is pretty similar but the E-PL1s (Four Thirds) and SZ-10 (1/2.3") boast different sensor sizes.

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The E-PL1s was launched 2 months prior to the SZ-10 so they are of a similar age. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL1s being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus SZ-10 being a Compact camera.

Before diving into a in depth comparison, here is a simple view of how the E-PL1s matches up versus the SZ-10 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

This is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus PEN E-PL1s & Olympus SZ-10. The complete galleries are provided at Olympus E-PL1s Gallery & Olympus SZ-10 Gallery.

When you are looking to carry around your camera frequently, you're going to have to factor its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-PL1s provides physical dimensions of 115mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") with a weight of 334 grams (0.74 lbs) while the Olympus SZ-10 has proportions of 106mm x 67mm x 38mm (4.2" x 2.6" x 1.5") along with a weight of 215 grams (0.47 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-PL1s and Olympus SZ-10 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you are utilising at that time. Here is a front view overall size comparison of the E-PL1s compared to the SZ-10.

Considering size and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL1s and SZ-10 is 86 and 90 respectively.

Generally, it's tough to picture the difference between sensor sizes purely by reading a spec sheet. The picture underneath might provide you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PL1s and SZ-10.

As you can see, the two cameras have different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The E-PL1s due to its bigger sensor is going to make getting shallower depth of field simpler and the Olympus SZ-10 will offer extra detail utilizing its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will help you crop shots a bit more aggressively.