Olympus E-PL1s vs Panasonic FH22

Its time to examine more in depth at the Olympus E-PL1s and Panasonic FH22, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Compact by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. The resolution of the E-PL1s (12MP) and the FH22 (14MP) is fairly close but the E-PL1s (Four Thirds) and FH22 (1/2.3") use totally different sensor dimensions.

Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

The E-PL1s was brought out 11 months after the FH22 so they are of a similar age. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL1s being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic FH22 being a Compact camera.

Before delving in to a complete comparison, below is a quick overview of how the E-PL1s scores vs the FH22 for portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN E-PL1s & Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH22. The entire galleries are viewable at Olympus E-PL1s Gallery & Panasonic FH22 Gallery.

For those who are intending to carry around your camera often, you will have to think about its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-PL1s provides exterior measurements of 115mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") with a weight of 334 grams (0.74 lbs) whilst the Panasonic FH22 has dimensions of 100mm x 57mm x 27mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 1.1") having a weight of 170 grams (0.37 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-PL1s and Panasonic FH22 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you are using at the time. Underneath is the front view dimension comparison of the E-PL1s and the FH22.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL1s and FH22 is 86 and 94 respectively.

Generally, it's hard to visualise the contrast in sensor sizes just by researching a spec sheet. The image underneath will offer you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the E-PL1s and FH22.

As you can see, each of these cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The E-PL1s because of its larger sensor will make getting shallower DOF less difficult and the Panasonic FH22 will provide you with more detail having its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will help you crop images much more aggressively. The fresher E-PL1s will have a benefit with regard to sensor innovation.