Olympus E-PL2 vs Panasonic SZ10

In this article, we will be matching up the Olympus E-PL2 versus Panasonic SZ10, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a large gap among the image resolutions of the E-PL2 (12MP) and SZ10 (16MP) and the E-PL2 (Four Thirds) and SZ10 (1/2.3") enjoy different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The E-PL2 was launched 4 years earlier than the SZ10 and that is a fairly serious difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of these cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-PL2 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic SZ10 being a Compact camera.

Before we go through a full comparison, below is a brief introduction of how the E-PL2 scores against the SZ10 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus PEN E-PL2 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ10. The complete galleries are viewable at Olympus E-PL2 Gallery & Panasonic SZ10 Gallery.

For those who are intending to lug around your camera frequently, you are going to need to factor its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-PL2 enjoys physical measurements of 114mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") accompanied by a weight of 362 grams (0.80 lbs) and the Panasonic SZ10 has dimensions of 99mm x 60mm x 30mm (3.9" x 2.4" x 1.2") along with a weight of 177 grams (0.39 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-PL2 versus Panasonic SZ10 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you have at that moment. Underneath is the front view overall size comparison of the E-PL2 against the SZ10.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL2 and SZ10 is 85 and 93 respectively.

Typically, its difficult to imagine the gap in sensor measurements purely by going through technical specs. The graphic underneath may give you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-PL2 and SZ10.

As you can tell, both of the cameras offer different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-PL2 because of its bigger sensor is going to make achieving shallow depth of field less difficult and the Panasonic SZ10 will produce extra detail utilizing its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop photographs a little more aggressively. The older E-PL2 will be disadvantaged in sensor tech.