Olympus E-PL5 vs Zeiss ZX1

Below is a thorough assessment of the Olympus E-PL5 and Zeiss ZX1, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Large Sensor Compact by rivals Olympus and Zeiss. There exists a huge gap between the sensor resolutions of the E-PL5 (16MP) and ZX1 (37MP) and the E-PL5 (Four Thirds) and ZX1 (Full frame) have totally different sensor measurements.

Photography Glossary

The E-PL5 was manufactured 7 years earlier than the ZX1 and that is quite a significant gap as far as technology is concerned. Both of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Zeiss ZX1 being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before we go right into a thorough comparison, here is a quick introduction of how the E-PL5 grades against the ZX1 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN E-PL5 and Zeiss ZX1. The entire galleries are provided at Olympus E-PL5 Gallery and Zeiss ZX1 Gallery.

For anybody who is planning to lug around your camera regularly, you'll need to factor its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-PL5 has external measurements of 111mm x 64mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") having a weight of 325 grams (0.72 lbs) and the Zeiss ZX1 has proportions of 142mm x 93mm x 46mm (5.6" x 3.7" x 1.8") with a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-PL5 and Zeiss ZX1 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you use at that moment. Here is a front view over all size comparison of the E-PL5 against the ZX1.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL5 and ZX1 is 88 and 67 respectively.

Sometimes, its tough to envision the gap between sensor measurements simply by going over specs. The visual below will provide you a clearer sense of the sensor measurements in the E-PL5 and ZX1.

As you can plainly see, both of those cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-PL5 due to its tinier sensor will make achieving shallow depth of field trickier and the Zeiss ZX1 will deliver extra detail due to its extra 21 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also let you crop images more aggressively. The older E-PL5 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.