Olympus E-PL1s vs Sony S950

The following is a comprehensive assessment of the Olympus E-PL1s versus Sony S950, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Compact by competitors Olympus and Sony. The image resolution of the E-PL1s (12MP) and the S950 (10MP) is fairly similar but the E-PL1s (Four Thirds) and S950 (1/2.3") have different sensor size.

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The E-PL1s was brought out 22 months after the S950 making them a generation away from each other. Both of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL1s being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony S950 being a Compact camera.

Before going straight to a comprehensive comparison, here is a brief summary of how the E-PL1s scores against the S950 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN E-PL1s and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S950. The entire galleries are provided at Olympus E-PL1s Gallery and Sony S950 Gallery.

If you are planning to travel with your camera regularly, you will have to factor in its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-PL1s offers outside dimensions 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 S950 has measurements of 93mm x 56mm x 24mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") with a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-PL1s versus Sony S950 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you have at that moment. The following is a front view measurement comparison of the E-PL1s against the S950.

Considering size and weight, the portability score of the E-PL1s and S950 is 86 and 94 respectively.

Generally, it can be hard to picture the contrast between sensor dimensions purely by reviewing specifications. The pic below may offer you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PL1s and S950.

To sum up, each of the cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The E-PL1s due to its larger sensor is going to make shooting shallower depth of field less difficult and the Olympus E-PL1s will offer you extra detail having its extra 2MP. Greater resolution can also help you crop images more aggressively. The more recent E-PL1s provides an advantage with regard to sensor innovation.