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Olympus E-PL1s vs Panasonic SZ10

Portability
86
Imaging
48
Features
43
Overall
46
Olympus PEN E-PL1s front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ10 front
Portability
93
Imaging
41
Features
34
Overall
38

Olympus E-PL1s vs Panasonic SZ10 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
  • Successor is Olympus E-PL2
Panasonic SZ10
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 1600 (Increase to 6400)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 24-288mm (F3.1-6.3) lens
  • 177g - 99 x 60 x 30mm
  • Launched January 2015
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Olympus E-PL1s vs Panasonic SZ10 Overview

Let's look much closer at the Olympus E-PL1s versus Panasonic SZ10, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by companies Olympus and Panasonic. There is a sizable difference among the resolutions of the E-PL1s (12MP) and SZ10 (16MP) and the E-PL1s (Four Thirds) and SZ10 (1/2.3") possess totally different sensor dimensions.

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The E-PL1s was manufactured 5 years before the SZ10 and that is a fairly significant difference as far as camera tech is concerned. The two cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-PL1s being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic SZ10 being a Compact camera.

Before getting in to a in depth comparison, below is a concise overview of how the E-PL1s grades vs the SZ10 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL1s over the Panasonic SZ10

 E-PL1s SZ10 
Focus manually Dial accurate focusing

Reasons to pick Panasonic SZ10 over the Olympus E-PL1s

 SZ10 E-PL1s 
LaunchedJanuary 2015November 2010Fresher by 50 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen sizing3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution460k230kSharper screen (+230k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-PL1s and Panasonic SZ10

 E-PL1s SZ10 
Selfie screen Neither has selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Neither has Touch friendly screen

Olympus E-PL1s vs Panasonic SZ10 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is going to carry your camera frequently, you're going to have to consider its weight and size. The Olympus E-PL1s has external dimensions of 115mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") having a weight of 334 grams (0.74 lbs) and the Panasonic SZ10 has specifications of 99mm x 60mm x 30mm (3.9" x 2.4" x 1.2") accompanied by a weight of 177 grams (0.39 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-PL1s versus Panasonic SZ10 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you are utilising during that time. Here is the front view dimension comparison of the E-PL1s and the SZ10.

Olympus E-PL1s vs Panasonic SZ10 size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL1s and SZ10 is 86 and 93 respectively.

Olympus E-PL1s vs Panasonic SZ10 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL1s vs Panasonic SZ10 Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, it is very hard to see the contrast in sensor sizing simply by seeing specs. The graphic below will provide you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL1s and SZ10.

As you can plainly see, each of these cameras offer different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-PL1s due to its bigger sensor will make getting shallower depth of field easier and the Panasonic SZ10 will show extra detail due to its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will enable you to crop photographs a little more aggressively. The older E-PL1s will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.

Olympus E-PL1s vs Panasonic SZ10 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL1s vs Panasonic SZ10 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL1s vs Panasonic SZ10 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL1s Portrait photography highlights
Panasonic SZ10 Portrait photography highlights
60
manual focus
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
provides face detection autofocus
supports RAW formats
sensor resolution low (12MP)
36
good resolution (16MP)
offers face detect autofocus
lack of manual focus
no manual control
external flash not possible
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL1s as a Street photography camera
Panasonic SZ10 as a Street photography camera
74
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
fixed screen
70
has a tilting screen
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition (177 grams)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-PL1s
Sports photography with Panasonic SZ10
45
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
provides tracking autofocus
low fps (3.0 frames per second)
sensor resolution low (12MP)
not so great battery pack (290 per charge)
no phase detect autofocus
34
image stabilization (Optical)
good resolution (16 megapixels)
continuous shooting slow (1.4 frames per second)
no shutter priority
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
not so great battery power (200 CIPA)
lack of phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-PL1s
Travel photography with Panasonic SZ10
52
has built in flash
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
not so great battery pack (290 shots)
sensor resolution low (12MP)
does not feature selfie friendly screen
67
lighter than competition (177 grams)
good resolution (16MP)
flash built-in
fairly wide (24mm)
long reach (288mm)
missing Timelapse function
not so great battery power (200 CIPA)
display is not selfie friendly
slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL1s Landscape photography info
Panasonic SZ10 Landscape photography info
55
manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
small screen (2.7 inch)
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
not so great battery pack (290 CIPA)
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
42
fairly wide (24mm)
screen size is good (3 inches)
image stabilization (Optical)
good resolution (16MP)
lack of manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
no manual control
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
not so great battery power (200 per charge)
missing Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL1s Vlogging highlights
Panasonic SZ10 Vlogging highlights
30
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
provides face detection autofocus
does not feature selfie friendly screen
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pxls)
doesn't have external mic jack
32
fairly wide (24mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
offers face detect autofocus
lighter than competition (177 grams)
slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
display is not selfie friendly
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pxls)
missing microphone port
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Olympus E-PL1s vs Panasonic SZ10 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL1s and Panasonic SZ10
 Olympus PEN E-PL1sPanasonic Lumix DMC-SZ10
General Information
Company Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus PEN E-PL1s Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ10
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Superzoom
Announced 2010-11-16 2015-01-06
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 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4032 x 3024 4608 x 3456
Max native ISO 6400 1600
Max boosted ISO - 6400
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW images
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Total focus points 11 9
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 24-288mm (12.0x)
Maximal aperture - f/3.1-6.3
Available lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.9
Screen
Range of display Fixed Type Tilting
Display size 2.7" 3"
Resolution of display 230 thousand dot 460 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Display tech HyperCrystal LCD AR (Anti-Reflective) coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 secs 8 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/2000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 3.0fps 1.4fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 10.00 m 5.20 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, auto w/redeye reduction, on, slow sync w/redeye, off
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/160 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p), 320 x 240 (30p)
Max video resolution 1280x720 1280x720
Video file format Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
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 lb) 177 gr (0.39 lb)
Dimensions 115 x 72 x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") 99 x 60 x 30mm (3.9" x 2.4" x 1.2")
DXO scores
DXO All around 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 pictures 200 pictures
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLS-1 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots One One
Retail cost $599 $200