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Olympus E-PL1s vs Olympus SZ-30MR

Portability
86
Imaging
47
Features
43
Overall
45
Olympus PEN E-PL1s front
 
Olympus SZ-30MR front
Portability
89
Imaging
39
Features
39
Overall
39

Olympus E-PL1s vs Olympus SZ-30MR Key Specs

Olympus E-PL1s
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 334g - 115 x 72 x 42mm
  • Released November 2010
  • Earlier Model is Olympus E-PL1
  • Successor is Olympus E-PL2
Olympus SZ-30MR
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-600mm (F3.0-6.9) lens
  • 226g - 106 x 69 x 40mm
  • Released March 2011
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Olympus E-PL1s vs Olympus SZ-30MR Overview

The following is a in-depth overview of the Olympus E-PL1s vs Olympus SZ-30MR, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom and both are designed by Olympus. There exists a large gap among the sensor resolutions of the E-PL1s (12MP) and SZ-30MR (16MP) and the E-PL1s (Four Thirds) and SZ-30MR (1/2.3") boast totally different sensor size.

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The E-PL1s was released 3 months prior to the SZ-30MR and they are of a similar age. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-PL1s being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus SZ-30MR being a Compact camera.

Before we go right into a detailed comparison, here is a concise summation of how the E-PL1s matches up against the SZ-30MR with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL1s over the Olympus SZ-30MR

 E-PL1s SZ-30MR 
Manual focus More precise focusing

Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-30MR over the Olympus E-PL1s

 SZ-30MR E-PL1s 
Screen size3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution460k230kCrisper screen (+230k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-PL1s and Olympus SZ-30MR

 E-PL1s SZ-30MR 
ReleasedNovember 2010March 2011Same age
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Neither comes with selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Lacking Touch friendly screen

Olympus E-PL1s vs Olympus SZ-30MR Physical Comparison

When you are intending to travel with your camera frequently, you'll need to factor in its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-PL1s comes with outer measurements of 115mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") and a weight of 334 grams (0.74 lbs) while the Olympus SZ-30MR has measurements of 106mm x 69mm x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") along with a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-PL1s vs Olympus SZ-30MR in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you have attached at the time. Underneath is a front view scale comparison of the E-PL1s and the SZ-30MR.

Olympus E-PL1s vs Olympus SZ-30MR size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-PL1s and SZ-30MR is 86 and 89 respectively.

Olympus E-PL1s vs Olympus SZ-30MR top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL1s vs Olympus SZ-30MR Sensor Comparison

Typically, its difficult to visualise the difference in sensor dimensions only by looking through a spec sheet. The picture here will provide you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PL1s and SZ-30MR.

As you can see, both cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The E-PL1s due to its bigger sensor will make achieving shallower DOF less difficult and the Olympus SZ-30MR will render greater detail as a result of its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop shots a good deal more aggressively.

Olympus E-PL1s vs Olympus SZ-30MR sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL1s vs Olympus SZ-30MR Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL1s vs Olympus SZ-30MR Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL1s Portrait photography features
Olympus SZ-30MR Portrait photography features
60
manual focus
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
supports face detection focusing
saves RAW formats
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
34
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
features face detect focusing
lack of manual focus
manual mode not available
no external flash support
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL1s as a Street photography camera
Olympus SZ-30MR as a Street photography camera
74
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
no articulating screen
60
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than others in class (226 grams)
no moving screen
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL1s Sports photography advice
Olympus SZ-30MR Sports photography advice
44
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
supports tracking autofocus
very slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames per second)
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
terrible battery (290 CIPA)
has no phase detect AF
41
great zoom range (25-600mm 24.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
features tracking focus
very slow continuous shooting (2.0 frames/s)
lack of shutter priority mode
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
low battery power (220 CIPA)
has no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL1s Travel photography info
Olympus SZ-30MR Travel photography info
51
has built in flash
lack of Time Lapse function
terrible battery (290 per charge)
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
65
lighter than others in class (226g)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
really wide (25mm)
very long reach (600mm)
does not have Time Lapse recording
low battery power (220 per charge)
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL1s as a Landscape photography camera
Olympus SZ-30MR as a Landscape photography camera
55
manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
tiny screen (2.7")
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
terrible battery (290 per charge)
lack of Time Lapse function
41
really wide (25mm)
screen is a decent size (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
lack of manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
manual mode not available
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
low battery power (220 per charge)
does not have Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL1s Vlogging factors
Olympus SZ-30MR Vlogging factors
29
image stabilization (Sensor based)
supports face detection focusing
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
low res video (1280 x 720 pxls)
lack of external mic port
34
really wide (25mm)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
features face detect focusing
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
lighter than others in class (226 grams)
slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
does not have mic support
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Olympus E-PL1s vs Olympus SZ-30MR Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL1s and Olympus SZ-30MR
 Olympus PEN E-PL1sOlympus SZ-30MR
General Information
Company Olympus Olympus
Model type Olympus PEN E-PL1s Olympus SZ-30MR
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Superzoom
Released 2010-11-16 2011-03-02
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Truepic V TruePic III+
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 16 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3 and 16:9
Full resolution 4032 x 3024 4608 x 3456
Max native ISO 6400 3200
Lowest native ISO 100 80
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Total focus points 11 -
Cross type focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 25-600mm (24.0x)
Max aperture - f/3.0-6.9
Macro focusing range - 1cm
Available lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.8
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen size 2.7 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 230k dots 460k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Screen technology HyperCrystal LCD AR (Anti-Reflective) coating TFT Hypercrystal III Color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 seconds 4 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/1700 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 3.0 frames/s 2.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 10.00 m 4.00 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/160 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (30 fps)1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 180 (30fps)
Max video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video format Motion JPEG MPEG-4
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 334 gr (0.74 lb) 226 gr (0.50 lb)
Physical dimensions 115 x 72 x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") 106 x 69 x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 290 photographs 220 photographs
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLS-1 LI-50B
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots Single Single
Launch cost $599 $279