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Olympus E-PL1s vs Olympus VG-160

Portability
86
Imaging
47
Features
43
Overall
45
Olympus PEN E-PL1s front
 
Olympus VG-160 front
Portability
96
Imaging
37
Features
26
Overall
32

Olympus E-PL1s vs Olympus VG-160 Key Specs

Olympus E-PL1s
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 334g - 115 x 72 x 42mm
  • Announced November 2010
  • Succeeded the Olympus E-PL1
  • Renewed by Olympus E-PL2
Olympus VG-160
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 1600
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 26-130mm (F2.8-6.5) lens
  • 125g - 96 x 57 x 19mm
  • Revealed January 2012
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Olympus E-PL1s vs Olympus VG-160 Overview

Below is a in depth comparison of the Olympus E-PL1s and Olympus VG-160, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact and they are both sold by Olympus. The sensor resolution of the E-PL1s (12MP) and the VG-160 (14MP) is relatively comparable but the E-PL1s (Four Thirds) and VG-160 (1/2.3") enjoy totally different sensor sizes.

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The E-PL1s was brought out 14 months prior to the VG-160 which makes the cameras a generation apart from one another. Both of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL1s being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus VG-160 being a Compact camera.

Before we go through a more detailed comparison, below is a simple introduction of how the E-PL1s scores vs the VG-160 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL1s over the Olympus VG-160

 E-PL1s VG-160 
Manual focus Very accurate focusing

Reasons to pick Olympus VG-160 over the Olympus E-PL1s

 VG-160 E-PL1s 
RevealedJanuary 2012November 2010More recent by 14 months
Screen dimension3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")

Common features in the Olympus E-PL1s and Olympus VG-160

 E-PL1s VG-160 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen resolution230k230kIdentical screen resolution
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen
Touch screen Neither contains Touch screen

Olympus E-PL1s vs Olympus VG-160 Physical Comparison

If you are going to lug around your camera frequently, you have to consider its weight and volume. The Olympus E-PL1s has got external dimensions 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 VG-160 has sizing of 96mm x 57mm x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") accompanied by a weight of 125 grams (0.28 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-PL1s and Olympus VG-160 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you are using at that moment. Below is the front view proportions comparison of the E-PL1s versus the VG-160.

Olympus E-PL1s vs Olympus VG-160 size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL1s and VG-160 is 86 and 96 respectively.

Olympus E-PL1s vs Olympus VG-160 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL1s vs Olympus VG-160 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it is very tough to visualise the gap in sensor measurements simply by seeing technical specs. The photograph underneath may give you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PL1s and VG-160.

As you can tell, the two cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-PL1s due to its bigger sensor will make achieving shallow DOF easier and the Olympus VG-160 will produce extra detail having its extra 2MP. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop pictures somewhat more aggressively. The older E-PL1s will be behind when it comes to sensor tech.

Olympus E-PL1s vs Olympus VG-160 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL1s vs Olympus VG-160 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL1s vs Olympus VG-160 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-PL1s
Portrait photography with Olympus VG-160
60
manual focus
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports face detection autofocus
exports RAW formats
low MP (12MP)
33
good MP (14MP)
has face detect autofocus
lack of manual focus
no manual control
no external flash support
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL1s Street photography advice
Olympus VG-160 Street photography advice
74
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
no articulating screen
56
lighter than average in class (125g)
fixed screen
lack of image stabilization
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL1s Sports photography details
Olympus VG-160 Sports photography details
44
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports tracking autofocus
slow fps (3.0 frames/s)
low MP (12MP)
terrible battery power (290 shots)
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
26
good MP (14MP)
no shutter priority
lack of image stabilization
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
low battery pack (165 shots)
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL1s Travel photography advice
Olympus VG-160 Travel photography advice
51
flash built-in
missing Time Lapse mode
terrible battery power (290 CIPA)
low MP (12 megapixels)
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
65
lighter than average in class (125 grams)
good MP (14MP)
has built in flash
relatively wide (26mm)
lack of Timelapse recording
low battery pack (165 CIPA)
does not have selfie friendly display
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL1s Landscape photography factors
Olympus VG-160 Landscape photography factors
55
manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
tiny screen (2.7 inches)
low MP (12 megapixels)
terrible battery power (290 per charge)
missing Time Lapse mode
36
relatively wide (26mm)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
good MP (14 megapixels)
lack of manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
no manual control
lack of image stabilization
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
low battery pack (165 CIPA)
lack of Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-PL1s
Vlogging with Olympus VG-160
29
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
supports face detection autofocus
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pxls)
missing external mic jack
30
relatively wide (26mm)
has face detect autofocus
lighter than average in class (125g)
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
does not have selfie friendly display
lack of image stabilization
video resolution low (1280 x 720 resolution)
lack of microphone jack
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Olympus E-PL1s vs Olympus VG-160 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL1s and Olympus VG-160
 Olympus PEN E-PL1sOlympus VG-160
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Olympus
Model type Olympus PEN E-PL1s Olympus VG-160
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Announced 2010-11-16 2012-01-10
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Truepic V -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 14 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3
Peak resolution 4032 x 3024 4288 x 3216
Highest native ISO 6400 1600
Min native ISO 100 80
RAW images
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Total focus points 11 -
Cross type focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 26-130mm (5.0x)
Largest aperture - f/2.8-6.5
Macro focusing range - 7cm
Available lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.8
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display size 2.7 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 230k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Display tech HyperCrystal LCD AR (Anti-Reflective) coating TFT Color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) None
Features
Min shutter speed 60 seconds 4 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Continuous shutter speed 3.0 frames per second -
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 10.00 m 4.80 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Max flash sync 1/160 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30,15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 180 (30,15 fps)
Highest video resolution 1280x720 1280x720
Video data format Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 334g (0.74 pounds) 125g (0.28 pounds)
Dimensions 115 x 72 x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") 96 x 57 x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7")
DXO scores
DXO Overall 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 165 photographs
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLS-1 LI-70B
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC SD/SDHC
Storage slots 1 1
Retail pricing $599 $90