Olympus E-PL5 vs Olympus SZ-15

Its time to look a bit more closely at the Olympus E-PL5 and Olympus SZ-15, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom and they are both offered by Olympus. The sensor resolution of the E-PL5 (16MP) and the SZ-15 (16MP) is pretty similar but the E-PL5 (Four Thirds) and SZ-15 (1/2.3") possess different sensor sizes.

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The E-PL5 was revealed 9 months prior to the SZ-15 which means that they are both of a similar age. Both of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus SZ-15 being a Compact camera.

Before delving in to a complete comparison, below is a quick overview of how the E-PL5 matches up against the SZ-15 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus PEN E-PL5 & Olympus SZ-15. The full galleries are available at Olympus E-PL5 Gallery & Olympus SZ-15 Gallery.

For those who are going to lug around your camera frequently, you are going to need to think about its weight and volume. The Olympus E-PL5 has got physical 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-15 has sizing of 108mm x 70mm x 40mm (4.3" x 2.8" x 1.6") and a weight of 250 grams (0.55 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-PL5 and Olympus SZ-15 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you have attached at that time. Below is the front view dimension comparison of the E-PL5 versus the SZ-15.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL5 and SZ-15 is 88 and 88 respectively.

Quite often, it's difficult to imagine the difference between sensor measurements only by going over a spec sheet. The visual underneath might give you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PL5 and SZ-15.

As you can see, both of those cameras have got the exact same megapixel count albeit different sensor measurements. The E-PL5 has got the bigger sensor which is going to make achieving bokeh less difficult. The older E-PL5 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.