Olympus E-PL1s vs Samsung HZ10W

Following is a thorough overview of the Olympus E-PL1s and Samsung HZ10W, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Compact by competitors Olympus and Samsung. The resolution of the E-PL1s (12MP) and the HZ10W (10MP) is fairly similar but the E-PL1s (Four Thirds) and HZ10W (1/2.3") have totally different sensor dimensions.

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The E-PL1s was revealed 19 months after the HZ10W making them a generation away from one another. Both cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-PL1s being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Samsung HZ10W being a Compact camera.

Before getting into a detailed comparison, here is a concise summary of how the E-PL1s grades versus the HZ10W with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Here is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN E-PL1s and Samsung HZ10W. The full galleries are available at Olympus E-PL1s Gallery and Samsung HZ10W Gallery.

In case you're looking to carry around your camera regularly, you'll need to take into account its weight and volume. 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) whilst the Samsung HZ10W has sizing of 105mm x 61mm x 37mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.5") along with a weight of 249 grams (0.55 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-PL1s and Samsung HZ10W in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you are working with at the time. Underneath is a front view dimensions comparison of the E-PL1s against the HZ10W.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL1s and HZ10W is 86 and 90 respectively.

Quite often, its tough to envision the gap between sensor sizes simply by going over a spec sheet. The picture below may offer you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PL1s and HZ10W.

As you can see, both the cameras feature different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The E-PL1s with its larger sensor will make achieving shallower depth of field easier and the Olympus E-PL1s will offer you more detail because of its extra 2MP. Greater resolution can also allow you to crop photos way more aggressively. The more recent E-PL1s is going to have an advantage with regard to sensor technology.