Clicky

Olympus E-PL1s vs Sony NEX-7

Portability
86
Imaging
48
Features
43
Overall
46
Olympus PEN E-PL1s front
 
Sony Alpha NEX-7 front
Portability
84
Imaging
64
Features
71
Overall
66

Olympus E-PL1s vs Sony NEX-7 Key Specs

Olympus E-PL1s
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 334g - 115 x 72 x 42mm
  • Introduced November 2010
  • Previous Model is Olympus E-PL1
  • Renewed by Olympus E-PL2
Sony NEX-7
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 16000
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 400g - 120 x 67 x 43mm
  • Announced December 2011
Ulanzi's Tripod Ensures Ultra Smooth Filming

Olympus E-PL1s vs Sony NEX-7 Overview

Below is a in-depth overview of the Olympus E-PL1s vs Sony NEX-7, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Advanced Mirrorless by competitors Olympus and Sony. There exists a substantial gap among the resolutions of the E-PL1s (12MP) and NEX-7 (24MP) and the E-PL1s (Four Thirds) and NEX-7 (APS-C) posses totally different sensor sizing.

Google AI Gemini Could Enhance iPhone Experience, Talks Suggest

The E-PL1s was unveiled 13 months earlier than the NEX-7 making them a generation apart from one another. Both the cameras have the same body design (Rangefinder-style mirrorless).

Before getting into a in-depth comparison, here is a brief view of how the E-PL1s matches up versus the NEX-7 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Europe Approves Revolutionary AI Legislation
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL1s over the Sony NEX-7

 E-PL1s NEX-7 

Reasons to pick Sony NEX-7 over the Olympus E-PL1s

 NEX-7 E-PL1s 
AnnouncedDecember 2011November 2010More recent by 13 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display dimensions3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution921k230kSharper display (+691k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-PL1s and Sony NEX-7

 E-PL1s NEX-7 
Focus manually More accurate focus
Selfie screen Neither provides selfie screen
Touch display Neither provides Touch display

Olympus E-PL1s vs Sony NEX-7 Physical Comparison

For those who are looking to lug around your camera often, you have to take into account its weight and size. The Olympus E-PL1s provides outer 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) while the Sony NEX-7 has specifications of 120mm x 67mm x 43mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 1.7") and a weight of 400 grams (0.88 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-PL1s vs Sony NEX-7 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you have during that time. Following is a front view measurement comparison of the E-PL1s vs the NEX-7.

Olympus E-PL1s vs Sony NEX-7 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL1s and NEX-7 is 86 and 84 respectively.

Olympus E-PL1s vs Sony NEX-7 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL1s vs Sony NEX-7 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it is tough to see the gap in sensor measurements simply by looking through technical specs. The photograph underneath might provide you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PL1s and NEX-7.

As you have seen, the 2 cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-PL1s with its smaller sensor will make getting shallow depth of field more difficult and the Sony NEX-7 will result in more detail having an extra 12MP. Greater resolution will help you crop photos more aggressively. The older E-PL1s will be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.

Olympus E-PL1s vs Sony NEX-7 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL1s vs Sony NEX-7 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL1s vs Sony NEX-7 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Nikon Coolpix camera search on Google skyrockets by 8,500%

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL1s Portrait photography info
Sony NEX-7 Portrait photography info
60
manual focus
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
offers face detection focus
saves RAW files
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
78
you can focus manually
MP count good (24MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
offers face detect focus
supports RAW files
TikTok Developing Photo App to Challenge Instagram's Dominance

Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL1s Street photography features
Sony NEX-7 Street photography features
74
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
screen does not articulate
76
screen tilts
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
supports RAW files
does not have image stabilization
Leica struggles with L-Mount camera sales, tougher than Q or M

Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL1s Sports photography highlights
Sony NEX-7 Sports photography highlights
45
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
offers tracking autofocus
slow fps (3.0 fps)
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
low battery (290 CIPA)
has no phase detect auto focus
62
MP count good (24MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
good battery pack (430 shots)
does not have image stabilization
lack of phase detect auto focus
Peek Behind the Lens of 'Photographer' and Their Go-To Cameras

Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL1s Travel photography highlights
Sony NEX-7 Travel photography highlights
52
flash built-in
no Timelapse mode
low battery (290 CIPA)
resolution not great (12MP)
display isn't selfie friendly
70
good battery pack (430 CIPA)
MP count good (24 megapixels)
flash built-in
no Timelapse function
does not contain selfie friendly display
Fujifilm accuses Eastman Kodak of patent violation in new lawsuit

Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL1s as a Landscape photography camera
Sony NEX-7 as a Landscape photography camera
55
manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
screen is somewhat small (2.7 inch)
resolution not great (12MP)
low battery (290 shots)
no Timelapse mode
72
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Sony E mount)
screen is a good size (3 inch)
MP count good (24MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
supports RAW files
good battery pack (430 per charge)
does not have image stabilization
no Timelapse function
Apple patent reveals improved iPhone camera durability

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL1s Vlogging details
Sony NEX-7 Vlogging details
30
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
offers face detection focus
display isn't selfie friendly
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pxls)
no external microphone support
35
offers face detect focus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
comes with microphone port
does not contain selfie friendly display
does not have image stabilization
AI-Powered Photo Editing Tools Could Be Added to WhatsApp

Olympus E-PL1s vs Sony NEX-7 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL1s and Sony NEX-7
 Olympus PEN E-PL1sSony Alpha NEX-7
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Sony
Model Olympus PEN E-PL1s Sony Alpha NEX-7
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Advanced Mirrorless
Introduced 2010-11-16 2011-12-13
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Truepic V Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 24 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 4032 x 3024 6000 x 4000
Maximum native ISO 6400 16000
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW data
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Number of focus points 11 25
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds Sony E
Available lenses 107 121
Crop factor 2.1 1.5
Screen
Range of display Fixed Type Tilting
Display size 2.7 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 230k dot 921k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Display tech HyperCrystal LCD AR (Anti-Reflective) coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) Electronic
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.73x
Features
Min shutter speed 60s 30s
Max shutter speed 1/2000s 1/4000s
Continuous shutter speed 3.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 10.00 m 6.00 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Max flash sync 1/160s 1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60, 24 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video file format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 334g (0.74 pounds) 400g (0.88 pounds)
Physical dimensions 115 x 72 x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") 120 x 67 x 43mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 1.7")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested 81
DXO Color Depth score not tested 24.1
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 13.4
DXO Low light score not tested 1016
Other
Battery life 290 shots 430 shots
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLS-1 NPFW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 or 5 images))
Time lapse recording
Storage media SD/SDHC SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots 1 1
Price at release $599 $699