Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus SZ-11

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.

Here is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN E-PL5 & Olympus SZ-11. The full galleries are available at Olympus E-PL5 Gallery & Olympus SZ-11 Gallery.

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.

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.

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

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.