Olympus E-PL2 vs Olympus SZ-10

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.

Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

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.

The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN E-PL2 and Olympus SZ-10. The complete galleries are provided at Olympus E-PL2 Gallery and Olympus SZ-10 Gallery.

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.

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.

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

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.