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Olympus E-PL1s vs Olympus XZ-2 iHS

Portability
86
Imaging
47
Features
43
Overall
45
Olympus PEN E-PL1s front
 
Olympus XZ-2 iHS front
Portability
85
Imaging
37
Features
67
Overall
49

Olympus E-PL1s vs Olympus XZ-2 iHS 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
  • Replacement is Olympus E-PL2
Olympus XZ-2 iHS
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/1.7" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 12800
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 28-112mm (F1.8-2.5) lens
  • 346g - 113 x 65 x 48mm
  • Revealed December 2012
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Olympus E-PL1s vs Olympus XZ-2 iHS Overview

Below, we are comparing the Olympus E-PL1s versus Olympus XZ-2 iHS, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Compact and both are manufactured by Olympus. The image resolution of the E-PL1s (12MP) and the XZ-2 iHS (12MP) is very well matched but the E-PL1s (Four Thirds) and XZ-2 iHS (1/1.7") feature totally different sensor dimensions.

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The E-PL1s was manufactured 3 years before the XZ-2 iHS and that is quite a big difference as far as tech is concerned. Both of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL1s being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus XZ-2 iHS being a Compact camera.

Before diving in to a more detailed comparison, below is a simple highlight of how the E-PL1s matches up vs the XZ-2 iHS in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL1s over the Olympus XZ-2 iHS

 E-PL1s XZ-2 iHS 

Reasons to pick Olympus XZ-2 iHS over the Olympus E-PL1s

 XZ-2 iHS E-PL1s 
RevealedDecember 2012November 2010Fresher by 25 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display dimension3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution920k230kCrisper display (+690k dot)
Touch display Easily navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-PL1s and Olympus XZ-2 iHS

 E-PL1s XZ-2 iHS 
Manual focus Very precise focusing
Selfie screen Neither includes selfie screen

Olympus E-PL1s vs Olympus XZ-2 iHS Physical Comparison

If you're looking to carry your camera regularly, you will want to think about its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-PL1s features outer measurements of 115mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") along with a weight of 334 grams (0.74 lbs) and the Olympus XZ-2 iHS has dimensions of 113mm x 65mm x 48mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.9") with a weight of 346 grams (0.76 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-PL1s versus Olympus XZ-2 iHS in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you select at the time. The following is the front view scale comparison of the E-PL1s against the XZ-2 iHS.

Olympus E-PL1s vs Olympus XZ-2 iHS size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL1s and XZ-2 iHS is 86 and 85 respectively.

Olympus E-PL1s vs Olympus XZ-2 iHS top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL1s vs Olympus XZ-2 iHS Sensor Comparison

Generally, its hard to visualise the contrast between sensor sizing merely by reading through technical specs. The graphic here may provide you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-PL1s and XZ-2 iHS.

As you can tell, the two cameras have got the exact same resolution but not the same sensor sizing. The E-PL1s features the larger sensor which will make obtaining shallow depth of field easier. The older E-PL1s is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.

Olympus E-PL1s vs Olympus XZ-2 iHS sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL1s vs Olympus XZ-2 iHS Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL1s vs Olympus XZ-2 iHS Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL1s as a Portrait photography camera
Olympus XZ-2 iHS as a Portrait photography camera
60
focusing manually
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
includes face detection autofocus
delivers RAW formats
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
46
you can focus manually
supports face detection autofocus
saves RAW formats
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
very small sensor size (1/1.7")
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL1s as a Street photography camera
Olympus XZ-2 iHS as a Street photography camera
74
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
no moving screen
66
screen tilts up and down
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
saves RAW formats
very small sensor size (1/1.7")
more heavy than average (346g)
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-PL1s
Sports photography with Olympus XZ-2 iHS
44
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
includes tracking autofocus
low frames per second (3.0 fps)
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
terrible battery life (290 shots)
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
43
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
supports tracking autofocus
better than average battery (340 shots)
megapixel count low (12MP)
very small sensor size (1/1.7")
has no phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL1s Travel photography advice
Olympus XZ-2 iHS Travel photography advice
51
flash built-in
doesn't have Timelapse function
terrible battery life (290 per charge)
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
screen is not selfie friendly
61
better than average battery (340 shots)
has built in flash
really wide (28mm)
very good max aperture (f1.8)
no Timelapse function
more heavy than average (346 grams)
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
screen is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL1s Landscape photography factors
Olympus XZ-2 iHS Landscape photography factors
55
focusing manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
tiny screen (2.7 inch)
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
terrible battery life (290 shots)
doesn't have Timelapse function
55
you can focus manually
really wide (28mm)
very good max aperture (f1.8)
decent sized screen (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
saves RAW formats
better than average battery (340 shots)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
megapixel count low (12MP)
very small sensor size (1/1.7")
no Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL1s Vlogging info
Olympus XZ-2 iHS Vlogging info
29
image stabilization (Sensor based)
includes face detection autofocus
screen is not selfie friendly
low res video (1280 x 720 resolution)
doesn't have external microphone socket
36
really wide (28mm)
very good max aperture (f1.8)
has touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
supports face detection autofocus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
includes external microphone port
screen is not selfie friendly
more heavy than average (346 grams)
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Olympus E-PL1s vs Olympus XZ-2 iHS Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL1s and Olympus XZ-2 iHS
 Olympus PEN E-PL1sOlympus XZ-2 iHS
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Olympus
Model type Olympus PEN E-PL1s Olympus XZ-2 iHS
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Released 2010-11-16 2012-12-18
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Chip Truepic V -
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/1.7"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 7.44 x 5.58mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 41.5mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 12 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3
Full resolution 4032 x 3024 3968 x 2976
Max native ISO 6400 12800
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW data
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
AF single
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 35
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 28-112mm (4.0x)
Maximum aperture - f/1.8-2.5
Macro focusing distance - 1cm
Amount of lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 4.8
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Tilting
Screen sizing 2.7 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 230 thousand dot 920 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Screen tech HyperCrystal LCD AR (Anti-Reflective) coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) Electronic (optional)
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 secs 60 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/2000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 3.0 frames/s -
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 10.00 m 8.60 m (ISO 800)
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Wireless
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash sync 1/160 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
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)
Max video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
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 seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 334 gr (0.74 lbs) 346 gr (0.76 lbs)
Dimensions 115 x 72 x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") 113 x 65 x 48mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested 49
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 20.4
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 11.3
DXO Low light rating not tested 216
Other
Battery life 290 images 340 images
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLS-1 Li-90B
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots Single Single
Launch price $599 $450