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Olympus E-PL2 vs Panasonic ZS15

Portability
85
Imaging
48
Features
47
Overall
47
Olympus PEN E-PL2 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS15 front
Portability
92
Imaging
36
Features
37
Overall
36

Olympus E-PL2 vs Panasonic ZS15 Key Specs

Olympus E-PL2
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 362g - 114 x 72 x 42mm
  • Revealed February 2011
  • Old Model is Olympus E-PL1s
  • Replacement is Olympus E-PL3
Panasonic ZS15
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-384mm (F3.3-5.9) lens
  • 208g - 105 x 58 x 33mm
  • Released June 2012
  • Alternative Name is Lumix DMC-TZ25
  • Refreshed by Panasonic ZS20
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Olympus E-PL2 vs Panasonic ZS15 Overview

Let's look more in depth at the Olympus E-PL2 vs Panasonic ZS15, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. The resolution of the E-PL2 (12MP) and the ZS15 (12MP) is pretty comparable but the E-PL2 (Four Thirds) and ZS15 (1/2.3") have different sensor sizes.

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The E-PL2 was launched 16 months prior to the ZS15 which makes them a generation away from each other. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL2 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic ZS15 being a Compact camera.

Before delving into a complete comparison, here is a concise view of how the E-PL2 grades against the ZS15 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL2 over the Panasonic ZS15

 E-PL2 ZS15 
Manual focus More accurate focusing

Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS15 over the Olympus E-PL2

 ZS15 E-PL2 
ReleasedJune 2012February 2011Newer by 16 months

Common features in the Olympus E-PL2 and Panasonic ZS15

 E-PL2 ZS15 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen dimensions
Screen resolution460k460kExact same screen resolution
Selfie screen Neither features selfie screen
Touch screen Lacking Touch screen

Olympus E-PL2 vs Panasonic ZS15 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is going to travel with your camera, you should consider its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-PL2 enjoys outer dimensions of 114mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") with a weight of 362 grams (0.80 lbs) whilst the Panasonic ZS15 has measurements of 105mm x 58mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3") accompanied by a weight of 208 grams (0.46 lbs).

See the Olympus E-PL2 vs Panasonic ZS15 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you have chosen at that moment. Following is a front view measurement comparison of the E-PL2 compared to the ZS15.

Olympus E-PL2 vs Panasonic ZS15 size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability score of the E-PL2 and ZS15 is 85 and 92 respectively.

Olympus E-PL2 vs Panasonic ZS15 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL2 vs Panasonic ZS15 Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, its difficult to visualize the contrast in sensor dimensions purely by going through specifications. The picture underneath might give you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PL2 and ZS15.

To sum up, both of the cameras provide the same resolution albeit different sensor dimensions. The E-PL2 offers the bigger sensor which will make achieving shallower DOF less difficult. The more aged E-PL2 will be disadvantaged in sensor technology.

Olympus E-PL2 vs Panasonic ZS15 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL2 vs Panasonic ZS15 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL2 vs Panasonic ZS15 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 Portrait photography highlights
Panasonic ZS15 Portrait photography highlights
60
focusing manually
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides face detection autofocus
supports RAW formats
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
21
no manual focus
external flash not possible
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 as a Street photography camera
Panasonic ZS15 as a Street photography camera
73
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
fixed screen
61
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition (208g)
fixed screen
very small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 Sports photography highlights
Panasonic ZS15 Sports photography highlights
45
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides tracking autofocus
very slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames per second)
sensor resolution low (12MP)
bad battery pack (280 per charge)
lacks phase detect autofocus
36
great zoom range (24-384mm 16.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
provides tracking autofocus
slow frames per second (2.0 frames/s)
resolution not great (12MP)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
bad battery (260 CIPA)
doesn't have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 as a Travel photography camera
Panasonic ZS15 as a Travel photography camera
51
flash built-in
lack of Timelapse recording
bad battery pack (280 shots)
sensor resolution low (12MP)
does not have a selfie friendly display
61
lighter than competition (208 grams)
has built in flash
quite wide (24mm)
great zoom (384mm)
no Timelapse recording
bad battery (260 shots)
resolution not great (12MP)
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 as a Landscape photography camera
Panasonic ZS15 as a Landscape photography camera
61
focusing manually
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
bad battery pack (280 shots)
lack of Timelapse recording
37
quite wide (24mm)
pretty good screen size (3")
built in image stabilization (Optical)
no manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
resolution not great (12MP)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
bad battery (260 CIPA)
no Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 Vlogging details
Panasonic ZS15 Vlogging details
29
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
provides face detection autofocus
does not have a selfie friendly display
low quality video (1280 x 720 pxls)
lack of external microphone socket
33
quite wide (24mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
high video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
lighter than competition (208 grams)
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
no external microphone support
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Olympus E-PL2 vs Panasonic ZS15 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL2 and Panasonic ZS15
 Olympus PEN E-PL2Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS15
General Information
Brand Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus PEN E-PL2 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS15
Also referred to as - Lumix DMC-TZ25
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Superzoom
Revealed 2011-02-11 2012-06-29
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Chip Truepic V -
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
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 12 megapixels 12 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4032 x 3024 4000 x 3000
Highest native ISO 6400 6400
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Manual focus
AF touch
AF continuous
AF single
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Number of focus points 11 23
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 24-384mm (16.0x)
Maximum aperture - f/3.3-5.9
Macro focus range - 3cm
Amount of lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.8
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display size 3" 3"
Resolution of display 460 thousand dots 460 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Display tech HyperCrystal LCD AR(Anti-Reflective) coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) None
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 seconds 15 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 3.0fps 2.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 10.00 m 6.40 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/160 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video file format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 362g (0.80 lbs) 208g (0.46 lbs)
Physical dimensions 114 x 72 x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") 105 x 58 x 33mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around 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 pictures 260 pictures
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLS-5 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage type SD/SDHC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots 1 1
Retail pricing $0 $279