Olympus E-PL1s vs Panasonic FZ1000 II

Below, we will be looking at the Olympus E-PL1s vs Panasonic FZ1000 II, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Large Sensor Superzoom by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a huge gap among the image resolutions of the E-PL1s (12MP) and FZ1000 II (20MP) and the E-PL1s (Four Thirds) and FZ1000 II (1") come with totally different sensor dimensions.

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The E-PL1s was unveiled 9 years earlier than the FZ1000 II and that is a fairly significant gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL1s being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic FZ1000 II being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before diving in to a detailed comparison, below is a short view of how the E-PL1s grades vs the FZ1000 II with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus PEN E-PL1s and Panasonic Lumix DC-FZ1000 II. The full galleries are provided at Olympus E-PL1s Gallery and Panasonic FZ1000 II Gallery.

If you are looking to lug around your camera, you're going to have to factor its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-PL1s features physical dimensions of 115mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") along with a weight of 334 grams (0.74 lbs) while the Panasonic FZ1000 II has dimensions of 136mm x 97mm x 132mm (5.4" x 3.8" x 5.2") and a weight of 808 grams (1.78 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-PL1s vs Panasonic FZ1000 II in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you have attached during that time. Here is the front view proportions comparison of the E-PL1s vs the FZ1000 II.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL1s and FZ1000 II is 86 and 55 respectively.

Sometimes, it is tough to envision the gap in sensor measurements merely by seeing specifications. The photograph below will offer you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL1s and FZ1000 II.

To sum up, both of these cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-PL1s with its bigger sensor will make shooting shallow DOF easier and the Panasonic FZ1000 II will produce more detail having an extra 8MP. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop shots somewhat more aggressively. The older E-PL1s will be behind when it comes to sensor technology.