Olympus E-PL1s vs Panasonic LZ30

The following is a complete assessment of the Olympus E-PL1s and Panasonic LZ30, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a substantial gap among the image resolutions of the E-PL1s (12MP) and LZ30 (16MP) and the E-PL1s (Four Thirds) and LZ30 (1/2.3") provide different sensor dimensions.

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The E-PL1s was introduced 3 years prior to the LZ30 which is a fairly big difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-PL1s being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic LZ30 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before going straight to a comprehensive comparison, here is a short introduction of how the E-PL1s matches up versus the LZ30 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Below is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus PEN E-PL1s & Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ30. The whole galleries are provided at Olympus E-PL1s Gallery & Panasonic LZ30 Gallery.

For anyone who is looking to travel with your camera, you will need to factor its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-PL1s provides external 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) whilst the Panasonic LZ30 has dimensions of 124mm x 84mm x 92mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 3.6") accompanied by a weight of 552 grams (1.22 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-PL1s and Panasonic LZ30 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you are working with at that moment. The following is a front view dimension comparison of the E-PL1s against the LZ30.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL1s and LZ30 is 86 and 66 respectively.

Quite often, it is difficult to imagine the gap in sensor dimensions merely by checking out technical specs. The image here should provide you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL1s and LZ30.

As you can tell, each of these cameras feature different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The E-PL1s with its bigger sensor is going to make getting shallower DOF less difficult and the Panasonic LZ30 will show more detail using its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop pictures way more aggressively. The more aged E-PL1s will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.