Olympus E-PL1s vs Panasonic SZ7

On this page, we will be analyzing the Olympus E-PL1s and Panasonic SZ7, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by companies Olympus and Panasonic. The resolution of the E-PL1s (12MP) and the SZ7 (14MP) is pretty well matched but the E-PL1s (Four Thirds) and SZ7 (1/2.3") have different sensor measurements.

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The E-PL1s was manufactured 13 months earlier than the SZ7 which makes them a generation apart from each other. The two cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL1s being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic SZ7 being a Compact camera.

Before delving straight to a complete comparison, here is a simple view of how the E-PL1s matches up versus the SZ7 for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus PEN E-PL1s & Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ7. The entire galleries are provided at Olympus E-PL1s Gallery & Panasonic SZ7 Gallery.

In case you're planning to lug around your camera frequently, you'll have to think about its weight and size. The Olympus E-PL1s provides exterior 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 Panasonic SZ7 has specifications of 99mm x 59mm x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8") with a weight of 133 grams (0.29 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-PL1s and Panasonic SZ7 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you are utilising at the time. Here is a front view measurement comparison of the E-PL1s against the SZ7.

Considering size and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL1s and SZ7 is 86 and 95 respectively.

In many cases, it is tough to visualize the contrast between sensor measurements purely by checking specifications. The graphic here should provide you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-PL1s and SZ7.

To sum up, both cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-PL1s featuring a bigger sensor is going to make getting shallow DOF less difficult and the Panasonic SZ7 will give you extra detail due to its extra 2MP. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop shots more aggressively. The older E-PL1s is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor technology.