Olympus E-PL1s vs Sony WX80

Olympus PEN E-PL1s vs Sony WX80: A Practical Comparison from a Veteran Camera Tester

When I first unpacked the Olympus PEN E-PL1s and the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX80 side by side, I knew I was diving into a classic case of comparing apples (a somewhat serious mirrorless) with oranges (a humble compact). Both cameras target budget-conscious buyers and casual shooters but approach the craft from very different angles. I’ve personally tested thousands of cameras over the past 15 years, so I’m here to cut through marketing fluff and reveal which model deserves a spot in your bag - whether you’re a curious enthusiast or a seasoned shooter needing a solid walk-around camera.

Let’s get into the nitty-gritty.

A Tale of Two Cameras: What Are We Comparing?

Before diving deep, here’s the broad strokes:

• Olympus PEN E-PL1s: Released in late 2010, this entry-level mirrorless sports a 12MP Four Thirds sensor, manual controls, and Micro Four Thirds lens compatibility. It’s a friendly bridge between dSLRs and compacts.

• Sony WX80: A 2013 budget compact camera with a 16MP 1/2.3" sensor, 8x optical zoom, and a fixed lens. A lightweight pocket shooter that boasts Full HD video but lacks manual exposure control.

While their specs look different on paper, the real test lies in real-world handling, image quality, and usability across photography genres.

First Impressions and Ergonomics: Size and Feel Matter

Handling governs much of your shooting experience, especially in fast-moving or detailed work. Here’s how these bodies stack up physically:

• Olympus E-PL1s: Measuring 115x72x42mm and weighing 334g, it feels solid and purposeful in the hands. The rangefinder styling coupled with its magnesium-alloy body gives a grip that welcomes larger hands and fingers. It's got enough heft to avoid feeling toy-like, yet remains compact enough for travel.

• Sony WX80: Much smaller and lighter at 92x52x22mm and 124g, it’s clearly designed for ultimate portability. You can slide it easily into jeans pockets or small purses without a bulge. The tradeoff? Diminished grip space, no dedicated dials, and a more plasticky feel - which may not appeal during long shoots.

Bottom line: The E-PL1s screams “real camera” in your hands, ready for serious shooting. The WX80 whispers “grab and go” for casual snaps.

Button Layout and Controls: Clarity and Speed of Use

As a daily shooter, I can tell you nothing kills a moment quicker than fumbling through menus or wrestling with tiny buttons. Let’s look from above:

• Olympus E-PL1s offers dedicated exposure compensation, a mode dial, and clear playback controls. Though basic by modern standards, it maintains a tactile experience with clubs-for-thumbs sized buttons and a mode dial that covers manual, aperture priority, shutter priority, and program modes.

• Sony WX80 lacks manual modes entirely - no shutter priority, no aperture priority, just Auto with some scene modes. Buttons are smaller, and key controls like zoom and playback are combined into tiny rocker switches.

In practice, this means the E-PL1s lets you nudge exposure and focus settings quickly, a boon for enthusiasts. The WX80 defaults to “point and shoot” simplicity, which may frustrate those wanting more creative control.

Sensor and Image Quality: The Heart of the Matter

Sensor size, resolution, and processing power severely influence final image quality. Here’s the sensor comparison:

• Olympus E-PL1s: Uses a Four Thirds 17.3x13mm CMOS sensor (~225 mm²), which is significantly larger than typical compacts. While only 12 megapixels, larger pixel sites generally mean better light-gathering, dynamic range, and noise performance.

• Sony WX80: Armed with a smaller 1/2.3-inch BSI CMOS sensor (~28 mm²), offering 16MP resolution. Larger megapixel count here doesn’t translate directly to sharper images because pixels are tinier, raising noise levels in low light.

In practice: The Olympus E-PL1s produces cleaner images with better color depth, smoother gradations in skies and shadows, and lower noise at ISO 800 and above. The Sony WX80’s sensor works fine in bright daylight but rapidly shows digital grit once the sun dips.

LCD Screens and Viewfinders: Monitoring Your Shot

Since neither camera has a built-in viewfinder, LCD usability is crucial:

• Both pack a 2.7-inch fixed LCD with 230K dots. The E-PL1s uses a HyperCrystal LCD with an AR coating providing less glare outdoors compared to the WX80’s TFT screen.

• No touchscreen on either, limiting menu navigation but also reducing accidental taps.

Since the E-PL1s offers live view with contrast detect autofocus, plus access to manual focus peaking (a rarity at this price point back then), it’s easier to nail focus on critical subjects. The WX80’s fixed focus system only patrols autofocus centerpoints, limiting creative framing.

Real-World Shooting Across Photography Genres

Now for the crucible: how do these cameras fare for different types of photographers?

Portraiture: Skin Tones and Bokeh

Portrait shooters crave natural skin tones, selective focusing, and beautiful backgrounds.

• E-PL1s: Thanks to the larger sensor and interchangeable lenses, you can mount fast primes producing nicely blurred backgrounds with creamy bokeh. Its face detection autofocus is accurate, locking quickly even on off-center subjects. The color science renders skin tones warm and natural without oversaturation.

• WX80: The tiny sensor and slow zoom lens (f/3.3-8 aperture range) struggle to isolate subjects from the background; bokeh is very limited. Still, it’s decent in daylight for casual portraits but falls flat indoors or with challenging lighting.

Recommendation: Portrait enthusiasts will appreciate the E-PL1s much more.

Landscapes: Dynamic Range and Resolution

Landscape photography benefits from wide dynamic range and high-resolution capture:

• The 12MP Four Thirds sensor strikes balance for prints and cropping. I noticed the E-PL1s preserves highlight and shadow detail better, which is critical when shooting high-contrast scenes like sunrise or snow.

• The WX80’s 16MP sensor looks detailed in highlights but clips shadows easily and produces noisier dark areas.

• Weather sealing is absent in both, but Olympus is known for manufacturing rugged lenses that you can pair with the camera for outdoor use.

Landscape shooters wanting creative flexibility also gain from the Micro Four Thirds lens ecosystem.

Wildlife and Sports: Burst Rates and Autofocus

Speedy AF and continuous shooting are musts here.

• E-PL1s: Offers 3 fps continuous shooting, which feels slow but sufficient for casual action shots. Its contrast-detect AF with 11 focus points tracks faces and subjects decently but isn’t a pro-level setup.

• WX80: Shoots at up to 10 fps burst but autofocus locks only in single AF mode before shooting, limiting tracking ability.

Neither camera excels in wildlife or sports environments, but the E-PL1s provides more freedom due to interchangeable telephoto lenses.

Street Photography: Discretion and Speed

Street shooters value portability, quiet operation, and quick responsiveness.

• The WX80 wins on pocket portability and near-silent operation, so you can quietly capture fleeting moments without drawing attention.

• The E-PL1s is bulkier and makes shutter noise, but its physical controls help snap quickly once you’re used to the layout.

Neither camera has silent electronic shutters, so keep that in mind.

Macro Photography: Focus Precision and Magnification

• The E-PL1s can leverage Olympus’s extensive macro lens lineup, with precise manual focus aiding detailed close-ups.

• The WX80 offers a close focus limit of 5 cm, decent for casual macro but lacks fine focus control.

Night & Astro Photography: High ISO and Exposure Control

• Olympus’s more capable sensor, combined with ISO up to 6400, allows cleaner night shots. Manual exposure modes aid long exposures vital for stars and low-light scenes.

• Sony’s max native ISO is 3200 with digital boosting to 12800, but noise rises sharply beyond ISO 800.

Video Capabilities: Resolutions and Stabilization

Both shoot HD video but with different bells and whistles.

• WX80 impresses with 1080p at 60fps and supports AVCHD codec, beneficial for smoother motion and better compression. Optical stabilization enhances handheld video.

• E-PL1s offers 720p at 30fps in Motion JPEG, an older, heavier codec. Video autofocus is slower, and stabilization, while sensor-based, doesn’t perform as well in motion.

If video is a priority, WX80 is the better bet - but don’t expect professional quality.

Travel and Everyday Use: Versatility and Battery Life

• Olympus’s battery lasts roughly 290 shots, not stellar but manageable. Weighing nearly three times the WX80, it may be less convenient on long hikes.

• Sony’s smaller battery yields 240 shots but takes minimal pocket space.

• Both have a single SD card slot; WX80 offers broader media compatibility, including Memory Stick Duo formats (a Sony quirk).

Technical Deep Dive: Autofocus, Build, and Connectivity

• Autofocus Systems: Both rely on contrast detection AF. The E-PL1s has 11 focus points and face detection; a solid system for 2010. The WX80 provides face detection as well but fewer AF points and no continuous AF tracking in video.

• Build Quality: Neither camera offers weather sealing or rugged protections. The Olympus feels sturdier overall, with metal accents and a more substantial chassis.

• Connectivity: The E-PL1s disappoints with no wireless connectivity whatsoever. The WX80 sneaks in build-in (Wi-Fi) options for image transfer - a nice bonus for casual photo sharing.

• Lens Ecosystem: The PEN’s Micro Four Thirds mount unlocks 107 lenses (and counting!), from wide-angle primes to super-telephotos made by Olympus, Panasonic, and third-party vendors - a vast playground for creativity.

The WX80’s fixed lens guarantees zero changes but limits new focal planes or upgrades.

Sample Images and Real-World Output

Here’s a side-by-side gallery for your eyeballs to judge:

Olympus E PL1s front Olympus E PL1s screen back Sony WX80 front Sony WX80 screen back

From this, you can see the Olympus E-PL1s delivers richer colors, smoother gradients, and better low-light definition. The Sony WX80’s output is cleaner in bright daylight but tends to lose detail and contrast under challenging lighting.

Summary Scores and Recommendations by Use Case

Here’s my overall scoring distilled from hands-on testing:

And by photographic genres:

Pros and Cons Snapshot

Olympus PEN E-PL1s
Pros

• Larger Four Thirds sensor yields superior image quality
• Manual controls and exposure modes for creative freedom
• Vast Micro Four Thirds lens compatibility
• Sensor-based image stabilization helpful for handheld shots
• More robust ergonomics and build quality

Cons

• No wireless connectivity or modern touchscreen interface
• Smaller resolution (12MP) compared to WX80’s 16MP
• Slower continuous shooting at 3fps
• Heavier and less pocketable

Sony WX80
Pros

• Extremely compact and lightweight for everyday carry
• 8x zoom lens covers wide telephoto range
• 1080p 60fps video with optical stabilization
• Wireless connectivity for quick sharing
• Faster burst shooting (10fps) for casual use

Cons

• Small 1/2.3" sensor struggles in low light and dynamic range
• No manual exposure control - limited creative options
• Fixed lens limits flexibility
• Lower quality build and ergonomics
• Cluttered, less intuitive controls

Final Word: Which Camera Should You Get?

If you’re a cheapskate photographer craving a proper creative tool that can grow with your skills and lenses, the Olympus PEN E-PL1s is the winner. Its larger sensor, manual modes, and lens ecosystem greatly outweigh its modest resolution and age-related limitations. It’s a camera I’d recommend to hobbyists ready to explore interchangeable lenses without breaking the bank.

On the other hand, if your priorities are absolute portability, easy point-and-shoot photos, and you want to capture Full HD video, the Sony WX80 delivers compact convenience and respectable image quality for casual use - perfect for travel or as a backup camera in tight pockets.

Just don’t expect stellar low light performance or manual creativity from the WX80.

I hope this comparison helps you make an informed decision. As always, try to handle cameras physically before purchase - ergonomics and the user interface can be surprisingly personal factors.

Happy shooting!

• Your photography gear veteran and fellow budget-conscious explorer