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Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus SZ-11

Portability
88
Imaging
52
Features
72
Overall
60
Olympus PEN E-PL5 front
 
Olympus SZ-11 front
Portability
89
Imaging
37
Features
37
Overall
37

Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus SZ-11 Key Specs

Olympus E-PL5
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 325g - 111 x 64 x 38mm
  • Announced September 2012
Olympus SZ-11
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 1600
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-500mm (F3.0-6.9) lens
  • 226g - 106 x 69 x 40mm
  • Introduced July 2011
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Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus SZ-11 Overview

Lets take a more detailed look at the Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus SZ-11, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom and both of them are created by Olympus. The resolution of the E-PL5 (16MP) and the SZ-11 (14MP) is fairly similar but the E-PL5 (Four Thirds) and SZ-11 (1/2.3") offer different sensor sizes.

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The E-PL5 was unveiled 14 months later than the SZ-11 making them a generation apart from one another. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus SZ-11 being a Compact camera.

Before diving into a thorough comparison, here is a quick summary of how the E-PL5 grades against the SZ-11 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL5 over the Olympus SZ-11

 E-PL5 SZ-11 
IntroducedSeptember 2012July 2011More recent by 14 months
Manual focus Dial exact focus
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-11 over the Olympus E-PL5

 SZ-11 E-PL5 

Common features in the Olympus E-PL5 and Olympus SZ-11

 E-PL5 SZ-11 
Display dimensions3"3"Equal display dimensions
Display resolution460k460kSame display resolution

Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus SZ-11 Physical Comparison

If you are planning to lug around your camera often, you will need to factor its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-PL5 comes with outside measurements of 111mm x 64mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") with a weight of 325 grams (0.72 lbs) while the Olympus SZ-11 has measurements of 106mm x 69mm x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") with a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus SZ-11 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you are utilizing at that time. Here is a front view dimension comparison of the E-PL5 compared to the SZ-11.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus SZ-11 size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-PL5 and SZ-11 is 88 and 89 respectively.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus SZ-11 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus SZ-11 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it is very tough to visualize the contrast between sensor measurements purely by reading specifications. The visual below might provide you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-PL5 and SZ-11.

Plainly, both of the cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-PL5 having a larger sensor is going to make getting bokeh easier and the Olympus E-PL5 will offer you extra detail having an extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also let you crop images a bit more aggressively. The fresher E-PL5 should have an edge with regard to sensor technology.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus SZ-11 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus SZ-11 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus SZ-11 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Portrait photography features
Olympus SZ-11 Portrait photography features
71
you can focus manually
megapixel count decent (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports face detect focusing
saves RAW files
33
megapixel count good (14 megapixels)
includes face detection autofocus
manual focus not available
lack of manual mode
no external flash support
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Street photography features
Olympus SZ-11 Street photography features
85
screen tilts up and down
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
boasts touch to focus
great ISO range (25,600)
60
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than average in class (226g)
screen does not articulate
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-PL5
Sports photography with Olympus SZ-11
66
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count decent (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports tracking focus
lack of phase detect AF
43
incredible zoom range (25-500mm 20.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
megapixel count good (14MP)
includes tracking autofocus
no shutter priority mode
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
terrible battery power (200 per charge)
does not have phase detect autofocus
Photography Glossary

Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 as a Travel photography camera
Olympus SZ-11 as a Travel photography camera
75
boasts touch to focus
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
screen is selfie friendly
doesn't have Time Lapse function
65
lighter than average in class (226 grams)
megapixel count good (14 megapixels)
built-in flash
decently wide (25mm)
very long reach (500mm)
missing Timelapse recording
terrible battery power (200 shots)
display is not selfie friendly
slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-PL5
Landscape photography with Olympus SZ-11
74
you can focus manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a decent size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count decent (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
great ISO range (25,600)
saves RAW files
doesn't have Time Lapse function
40
decently wide (25mm)
nice screen size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
megapixel count good (14 megapixels)
manual focus not available
can't switch lens (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
lack of manual mode
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
terrible battery power (200 shots)
missing Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Vlogging information
Olympus SZ-11 Vlogging information
78
screen is selfie friendly
touchscreen enabled
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
supports face detect focusing
good video quality (1920 x 1080 pixels)
doesn't have mic support
31
decently wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
includes face detection autofocus
lighter than average in class (226g)
slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
display is not selfie friendly
video res low (1280 x 720 resolution)
missing external microphone support
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Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus SZ-11 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL5 and Olympus SZ-11
 Olympus PEN E-PL5Olympus SZ-11
General Information
Make Olympus Olympus
Model type Olympus PEN E-PL5 Olympus SZ-11
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Superzoom
Announced 2012-09-17 2011-07-27
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by - TruePic III+
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 14 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4608 x 3456 4288 x 3216
Highest native ISO 25600 1600
Minimum native ISO 200 80
RAW format
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points 35 -
Cross type focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 25-500mm (20.0x)
Max aperture - f/3.0-6.9
Macro focusing range - 1cm
Number of lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.8
Screen
Type of display Tilting Fixed Type
Display size 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 460k dots 460k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Display tech - TFT Color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 seconds 4 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 8.0 frames/s 7.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 7.00 m (bundled FL-LM1) 9.30 m (@ ISO 1600)
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/250 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30, 15fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 325 grams (0.72 lbs) 226 grams (0.50 lbs)
Physical dimensions 111 x 64 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") 106 x 69 x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 72 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 22.8 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.3 not tested
DXO Low light rating 889 not tested
Other
Battery life 360 pictures 200 pictures
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLS-5 LI-50B
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots 1 1
Retail cost $400 $253