Olympus E-PL1s vs Panasonic ZS45

Let's examine more closely at the Olympus E-PL1s and Panasonic ZS45, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by companies Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a large gap between the resolutions of the E-PL1s (12MP) and ZS45 (16MP) and the E-PL1s (Four Thirds) and ZS45 (1/2.3") enjoy different sensor measurements.

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The E-PL1s was manufactured 5 years earlier than the ZS45 and that is quite a serious difference as far as technology is concerned. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL1s being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic ZS45 being a Compact camera.

Before diving in to a in-depth comparison, below is a simple highlight of how the E-PL1s grades versus the ZS45 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Here is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus PEN E-PL1s & Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS45. The entire galleries are available at Olympus E-PL1s Gallery & Panasonic ZS45 Gallery.

If you're going to carry your camera, you'll need to take into account its weight and volume. The Olympus E-PL1s provides outside measurements of 115mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") having a weight of 334 grams (0.74 lbs) whilst the Panasonic ZS45 has sizing of 108mm x 60mm x 32mm (4.3" x 2.4" x 1.3") having a weight of 249 grams (0.55 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-PL1s and Panasonic ZS45 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you are using at that time. Following is the front view measurement comparison of the E-PL1s and the ZS45.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL1s and ZS45 is 86 and 91 respectively.

Sometimes, it is very hard to visualize the difference between sensor sizing only by reading technical specs. The visual underneath should offer you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the E-PL1s and ZS45.

As you can tell, each of the cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The E-PL1s due to its bigger sensor is going to make shooting shallower DOF less difficult and the Panasonic ZS45 will offer extra detail due to its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will help you crop shots much more aggressively. The older E-PL1s is going to be disadvantaged in sensor technology.