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Olympus E-PL2 vs Olympus SZ-10

Portability
85
Imaging
48
Features
47
Overall
47
Olympus PEN E-PL2 front
 
Olympus SZ-10 front
Portability
90
Imaging
37
Features
36
Overall
36

Olympus E-PL2 vs Olympus SZ-10 Key Specs

Olympus E-PL2
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 362g - 114 x 72 x 42mm
  • Revealed February 2011
  • Succeeded the Olympus E-PL1s
  • Refreshed by Olympus E-PL3
Olympus SZ-10
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 1600
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-504mm (F3.1-4.4) lens
  • 215g - 106 x 67 x 38mm
  • Revealed February 2011
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-PL2 vs Olympus SZ-10 Overview

In this write-up, we are comparing the Olympus E-PL2 and Olympus SZ-10, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom and both of them are designed by Olympus. The sensor resolution of the E-PL2 (12MP) and the SZ-10 (14MP) is fairly well matched but the E-PL2 (Four Thirds) and SZ-10 (1/2.3") use totally different sensor sizing.

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The E-PL2 was launched very close to the SZ-10 which means that they are of a similar generation. The two cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-PL2 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus SZ-10 being a Compact camera.

Before going straight into a step-by-step comparison, below is a concise view of how the E-PL2 matches up versus the SZ-10 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL2 over the Olympus SZ-10

 E-PL2 SZ-10 
Focus manually More exact focusing

Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-10 over the Olympus E-PL2

 SZ-10 E-PL2 

Common features in the Olympus E-PL2 and Olympus SZ-10

 E-PL2 SZ-10 
RevealedFebruary 2011February 2011Similar generation
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display sizing3"3"Equivalent display measurement
Display resolution460k460kEqual display resolution
Selfie screen Lacking selfie screen
Touch friendly display Neither has Touch friendly display

Olympus E-PL2 vs Olympus SZ-10 Physical Comparison

In case you're going to carry around your camera frequently, you'll need to think about its weight and volume. The Olympus E-PL2 has outer measurements of 114mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") with a weight of 362 grams (0.80 lbs) while the Olympus SZ-10 has sizing of 106mm x 67mm x 38mm (4.2" x 2.6" x 1.5") having a weight of 215 grams (0.47 lbs).

See the Olympus E-PL2 and Olympus SZ-10 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you have at that time. Underneath is the front view dimensions comparison of the E-PL2 against the SZ-10.

Olympus E-PL2 vs Olympus SZ-10 size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL2 and SZ-10 is 85 and 90 respectively.

Olympus E-PL2 vs Olympus SZ-10 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL2 vs Olympus SZ-10 Sensor Comparison

Typically, it is very hard to envision the difference between sensor sizes purely by reading through specs. The picture underneath should provide you a better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PL2 and SZ-10.

As you can plainly see, both of the cameras offer different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The E-PL2 due to its larger sensor will make achieving shallow DOF simpler and the Olympus SZ-10 will give you more detail utilizing its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will help you crop photos a little more aggressively.

Olympus E-PL2 vs Olympus SZ-10 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL2 vs Olympus SZ-10 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL2 vs Olympus SZ-10 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-PL2
Portrait photography with Olympus SZ-10
60
has manual focus
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
supports face detect autofocus
exports RAW formats
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
33
decent MP (14 megapixels)
features face detect focusing
lack of manual focus
lack of manual mode
can't use external flash
sensor is small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 as a Street photography camera
Olympus SZ-10 as a Street photography camera
73
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
screen is fixed
60
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than competition in class (215g)
screen is fixed
sensor is small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 as a Sports photography camera
Olympus SZ-10 as a Sports photography camera
45
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
supports tracking focus
very slow continuous shooting (3.0 fps)
low megapixels (12MP)
low battery power (280 shots)
lack of phase detect autofocus
40
excellent zoom range (28-504mm 18.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent MP (14MP)
features tracking focus
max frames per second very slow (1.0 fps)
no shutter priority mode
sensor is small (1/2.3")
low battery life (220 per charge)
lacks phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 Travel photography features
Olympus SZ-10 Travel photography features
51
has built in flash
does not have Timelapse mode
low battery power (280 CIPA)
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
65
lighter than competition in class (215g)
decent MP (14 megapixels)
has built in flash
rather wide (28mm)
long zoom (504mm)
no Timelapse recording
low battery life (220 shots)
screen isn't selfie friendly
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.1)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 Landscape photography features
Olympus SZ-10 Landscape photography features
61
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
low megapixels (12MP)
low battery power (280 CIPA)
does not have Timelapse mode
40
rather wide (28mm)
screen size is good (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent MP (14 megapixels)
lack of manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.1)
lack of manual mode
sensor is small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
low battery life (220 shots)
no Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 as a Vlogging camera
Olympus SZ-10 as a Vlogging camera
29
image stabilization (Sensor based)
supports face detect autofocus
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
video resolution low (1280 x 720 resolution)
does not have microphone support
31
rather wide (28mm)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
features face detect focusing
lighter than competition in class (215 grams)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.1)
screen isn't selfie friendly
low res video (1280 x 720 pxls)
no microphone socket
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Olympus E-PL2 vs Olympus SZ-10 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL2 and Olympus SZ-10
 Olympus PEN E-PL2Olympus SZ-10
General Information
Company Olympus Olympus
Model Olympus PEN E-PL2 Olympus SZ-10
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Superzoom
Revealed 2011-02-11 2011-02-08
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Truepic V TruePic III+
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 14MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4032 x 3024 4288 x 3216
Highest native ISO 6400 1600
Lowest native ISO 100 80
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Number of focus points 11 -
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 28-504mm (18.0x)
Max aperture - f/3.1-4.4
Macro focus range - 1cm
Total lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.8
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen size 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 460 thousand dots 460 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Screen tech HyperCrystal LCD AR(Anti-Reflective) coating TFT Color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) None
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60s 4s
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/2000s
Continuous shutter rate 3.0 frames/s 1.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 10.00 m 7.10 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize 1/160s -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30, 15fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15fps)
Highest video resolution 1280x720 1280x720
Video file format Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Microphone port
Headphone port
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 sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 362 grams (0.80 pounds) 215 grams (0.47 pounds)
Dimensions 114 x 72 x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") 106 x 67 x 38mm (4.2" x 2.6" x 1.5")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 55 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 21.4 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 10.2 not tested
DXO Low light score 573 not tested
Other
Battery life 280 photographs 220 photographs
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLS-5 LI-50B
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots 1 1
Launch pricing $0 $300