Olympus E-PL6 vs Olympus SP-590 UZ

Following is a thorough analysis of the Olympus E-PL6 versus Olympus SP-590 UZ, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom and they are both built by Olympus. There is a sizeable difference among the sensor resolutions of the E-PL6 (16MP) and SP-590 UZ (12MP) and the E-PL6 (Four Thirds) and SP-590 UZ (1/2.3") possess totally different sensor size.

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The E-PL6 was introduced 5 years after the SP-590 UZ which is a fairly large gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL6 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus SP-590 UZ being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before going in to a in-depth comparison, below is a short synopsis of how the E-PL6 grades versus the SP-590 UZ in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus PEN E-PL6 and Olympus SP-590 UZ. The whole galleries are viewable at Olympus E-PL6 Gallery and Olympus SP-590 UZ Gallery.

For those who are planning to carry around your camera regularly, you are going to need to consider its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-PL6 has physical dimensions of 111mm x 64mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") having a weight of 325 grams (0.72 lbs) while the Olympus SP-590 UZ has measurements of 116mm x 84mm x 81mm (4.6" x 3.3" x 3.2") and a weight of 413 grams (0.91 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-PL6 versus Olympus SP-590 UZ in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you choose during that time. Following is the front view dimension comparison of the E-PL6 and the SP-590 UZ.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability score of the E-PL6 and SP-590 UZ is 88 and 72 respectively.

In many cases, its tough to see the difference in sensor sizes only by viewing a spec sheet. The image below will help provide you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PL6 and SP-590 UZ.

As you can see, the 2 cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The E-PL6 with its bigger sensor will make getting shallow DOF easier and the Olympus E-PL6 will result in extra detail using its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop pictures much more aggressively. The younger E-PL6 is going to have an advantage with regard to sensor tech.