Olympus E-PL1s vs Panasonic ZS20

Here is a extensive assessment of the Olympus E-PL1s and Panasonic ZS20, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. The sensor resolution of the E-PL1s (12MP) and the ZS20 (14MP) is fairly well matched but the E-PL1s (Four Thirds) and ZS20 (1/2.3") feature different sensor dimensions.

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The E-PL1s was released 17 months before the ZS20 making the cameras a generation apart from each other. The two cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-PL1s being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic ZS20 being a Compact camera.

Before delving through a in-depth comparison, below is a concise summary of how the E-PL1s grades versus the ZS20 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN E-PL1s & Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20. The complete galleries are viewable at Olympus E-PL1s Gallery & Panasonic ZS20 Gallery.

When you are going to carry your camera regularly, you will need to consider its weight and size. The Olympus E-PL1s offers outer measurements of 115mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") accompanied by a weight of 334 grams (0.74 lbs) while the Panasonic ZS20 has specifications of 105mm x 59mm x 28mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.1") accompanied by a weight of 206 grams (0.45 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-PL1s and Panasonic ZS20 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you are employing at the time. Here is the front view overall size comparison of the E-PL1s vs the ZS20.

Considering size and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL1s and ZS20 is 86 and 92 respectively.

Generally, it is tough to visualize the gap between sensor sizing purely by checking specifications. The graphic underneath should give you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PL1s and ZS20.

Plainly, both of those cameras offer different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The E-PL1s featuring a larger sensor is going to make getting shallower depth of field simpler and the Panasonic ZS20 will give you greater detail as a result of its extra 2MP. Greater resolution will also let you crop images a little more aggressively. The older E-PL1s is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.