Olympus E-PL2 vs Olympus XZ-1

Below, we are comparing the Olympus E-PL2 vs Olympus XZ-1, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Compact and both are sold by Olympus. The sensor resolution of the E-PL2 (12MP) and the XZ-1 (10MP) is very comparable but the E-PL2 (Four Thirds) and XZ-1 (1/1.63") enjoy totally different sensor measurements.

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The E-PL2 was launched very close to the XZ-1 so they are of a similar age. Both cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL2 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus XZ-1 being a Compact camera.

Before delving through a step-by-step comparison, below is a concise summation of how the E-PL2 matches up against the XZ-1 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

The following is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus PEN E-PL2 & Olympus XZ-1. The complete galleries are available at Olympus E-PL2 Gallery & Olympus XZ-1 Gallery.

In case you're going to travel with your camera often, you're going to have to factor in its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-PL2 offers exterior measurements of 114mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") and a weight of 362 grams (0.80 lbs) while the Olympus XZ-1 has proportions of 111mm x 65mm x 42mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.7") with a weight of 275 grams (0.61 lbs).

See the Olympus E-PL2 vs Olympus XZ-1 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you have chosen during that time. Underneath is the front view overall size comparison of the E-PL2 versus the XZ-1.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL2 and XZ-1 is 85 and 88 respectively.

Generally, it's hard to visualise the contrast in sensor dimensions simply by seeing specs. The picture below will help give you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-PL2 and XZ-1.

As you can plainly see, both of those cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The E-PL2 because of its larger sensor will make getting shallow DOF less difficult and the Olympus E-PL2 will show greater detail utilizing its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will let you crop images much more aggressively.