Olympus E-PL1s vs Olympus SH-1

Below is a extensive review of the Olympus E-PL1s and Olympus SH-1, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom and they are both designed by Olympus. There is a considerable difference between the resolutions of the E-PL1s (12MP) and SH-1 (16MP) and the E-PL1s (Four Thirds) and SH-1 (1/2.3") feature different sensor sizes.

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The E-PL1s was revealed 4 years before the SH-1 and that is quite a large difference as far as tech is concerned. Both the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-PL1s being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus SH-1 being a Compact camera.

Before we go straight into a comprehensive comparison, below is a brief view of how the E-PL1s grades vs the SH-1 for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus PEN E-PL1s & Olympus Stylus SH-1. The full galleries are viewable at Olympus E-PL1s Gallery & Olympus SH-1 Gallery.

In case you're intending to lug around your camera often, you're going to have to think about its weight and size. The Olympus E-PL1s has got physical measurements 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 SH-1 has specifications of 109mm x 63mm x 42mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.7") with a weight of 271 grams (0.60 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-PL1s and Olympus SH-1 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you are employing at that moment. Below is the front view measurement comparison of the E-PL1s against the SH-1.

Using size and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL1s and SH-1 is 86 and 88 respectively.

Oftentimes, its difficult to imagine the contrast between sensor measurements merely by looking at technical specs. The graphic underneath will help give you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PL1s and SH-1.

As you have seen, the 2 cameras offer different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-PL1s with its bigger sensor is going to make getting shallow DOF less difficult and the Olympus SH-1 will resolve greater detail because of its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop pictures a little more aggressively. The older E-PL1s is going to be behind with regard to sensor tech.