Olympus E-PL1s vs Panasonic ZS100

Here is a extended comparison of the Olympus E-PL1s vs Panasonic ZS100, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Large Sensor Compact by brands Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a crucial gap between the image resolutions of the E-PL1s (12MP) and ZS100 (20MP) and the E-PL1s (Four Thirds) and ZS100 (1") come with totally different sensor measurements.

Photography Glossary

The E-PL1s was launched 6 years earlier than the ZS100 and that is quite a serious gap as far as technology is concerned. Both of these cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-PL1s being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic ZS100 being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before we go straight into a in-depth comparison, below is a concise synopsis of how the E-PL1s scores against the ZS100 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN E-PL1s and Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS100. The complete galleries are available at Olympus E-PL1s Gallery and Panasonic ZS100 Gallery.

If you are going to carry your camera, you will have to factor its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-PL1s offers external dimensions of 115mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") with a weight of 334 grams (0.74 lbs) and the Panasonic ZS100 has measurements of 111mm x 65mm x 44mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.7") accompanied by a weight of 312 grams (0.69 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-PL1s vs Panasonic ZS100 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you have chosen at the time. Following is the front view overall size comparison of the E-PL1s versus the ZS100.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-PL1s and ZS100 is 86 and 87 respectively.

Sometimes, it is very difficult to see the gap between sensor sizing just by checking a spec sheet. The visual here should provide you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PL1s and ZS100.

As you can see, both of these cameras enjoy different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The E-PL1s featuring a larger sensor will make getting shallow depth of field less difficult and the Panasonic ZS100 will give greater detail utilizing its extra 8MP. Greater resolution will let you crop photos far more aggressively. The older E-PL1s is going to be behind in sensor technology.