Olympus E-PL2 vs Olympus SZ-12

The following is a complete overview of the Olympus E-PL2 and Olympus SZ-12, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom and both of them are produced by Olympus. The sensor resolution of the E-PL2 (12MP) and the SZ-12 (14MP) is fairly well matched but the E-PL2 (Four Thirds) and SZ-12 (1/2.3") come with different sensor size.

Photography Glossary

The E-PL2 was brought out 11 months earlier than the SZ-12 so they are of a similar age. The two cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL2 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus SZ-12 being a Compact camera.

Before diving through a in depth comparison, below is a concise summation of how the E-PL2 grades vs the SZ-12 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN E-PL2 & Olympus SZ-12. The entire galleries are available at Olympus E-PL2 Gallery & Olympus SZ-12 Gallery.

If you are looking to travel with your camera, you need to consider its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-PL2 has physical dimensions of 114mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") having a weight of 362 grams (0.80 lbs) and the Olympus SZ-12 has measurements of 106mm x 69mm x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") accompanied by a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-PL2 and Olympus SZ-12 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you use at that time. The following is the front view physical size comparison of the E-PL2 compared to the SZ-12.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL2 and SZ-12 is 85 and 89 respectively.

Sometimes, its difficult to picture the gap between sensor dimensions just by looking at technical specs. The image underneath will help offer you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PL2 and SZ-12.

As you have seen, both the cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The E-PL2 due to its larger sensor is going to make achieving shallower depth of field simpler and the Olympus SZ-12 will give extra detail having its extra 2MP. Greater resolution can also let you crop photos much more aggressively. The more aged E-PL2 is going to be behind in sensor tech.