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Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic SZ1

Portability
88
Imaging
53
Features
77
Overall
62
Olympus PEN E-PL6 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ1 front
Portability
95
Imaging
39
Features
34
Overall
37

Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic SZ1 Key Specs

Olympus E-PL6
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 325g - 111 x 64 x 38mm
  • Introduced August 2014
  • Successor is Olympus E-PL7
Panasonic SZ1
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-250mm (F3.1-5.9) lens
  • 131g - 99 x 59 x 21mm
  • Introduced January 2012
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Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic SZ1 Overview

Let's look a little more closely at the Olympus E-PL6 and Panasonic SZ1, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Compact by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. The image resolution of the E-PL6 (16MP) and the SZ1 (16MP) is very well matched but the E-PL6 (Four Thirds) and SZ1 (1/2.3") come with different sensor measurements.

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The E-PL6 was unveiled 2 years later than the SZ1 and that is quite a large gap as far as technology is concerned. The two cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL6 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic SZ1 being a Compact camera.

Before going through a in depth comparison, below is a quick summation of how the E-PL6 scores vs the SZ1 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL6 over the Panasonic SZ1

 E-PL6 SZ1 
IntroducedAugust 2014January 2012Fresher by 32 months
Manual focus More exact focus
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display resolution460k230kSharper display (+230k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic SZ1 over the Olympus E-PL6

 SZ1 E-PL6 

Common features in the Olympus E-PL6 and Panasonic SZ1

 E-PL6 SZ1 
Display dimension3"3"Identical display measurements

Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic SZ1 Physical Comparison

If you are going to carry your camera frequently, you should factor in its weight and size. The Olympus E-PL6 features outer dimensions of 111mm x 64mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") accompanied by a weight of 325 grams (0.72 lbs) while the Panasonic SZ1 has specifications of 99mm x 59mm x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8") along with a weight of 131 grams (0.29 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-PL6 and Panasonic SZ1 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you are utilising at the time. Here is the front view dimensions comparison of the E-PL6 against the SZ1.

Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic SZ1 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL6 and SZ1 is 88 and 95 respectively.

Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic SZ1 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic SZ1 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it is difficult to visualize the difference between sensor sizing simply by reading through specs. The graphic here might give you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL6 and SZ1.

As you can plainly see, both of those cameras posses the exact same megapixel count but different sensor sizing. The E-PL6 has the larger sensor which will make obtaining shallower depth of field less difficult. The more modern E-PL6 should have an edge in sensor innovation.

Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic SZ1 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic SZ1 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic SZ1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-PL6
Portrait photography with Panasonic SZ1
71
manual focus
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
provides face detect autofocus
exports RAW formats
34
good MP (16MP)
offers face detect focus
lack of manual focus
no manual control
no external flash support
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-PL6
Street photography with Panasonic SZ1
85
tilting screen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
has focus by touch
very good high ISO (25,600)
63
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition in class (131 grams)
screen is fixed
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL6 Sports photography factors
Panasonic SZ1 Sports photography factors
66
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
provides tracking focus
does not have phase detect autofocus
40
image stabilization (Optical)
good MP (16 megapixels)
offers tracking focus
max frames per second very slow (1.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL6 Travel photography features
Panasonic SZ1 Travel photography features
85
has focus by touch
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
selfie friendly display
70
lighter than competition in class (131 grams)
good MP (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
quite wide (25mm)
long reach (250mm)
lack of Timelapse mode
doesn't contain selfie friendly display
slow max aperture (f3.1)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL6 Landscape photography advice
Panasonic SZ1 Landscape photography advice
80
manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent megapixels (16MP)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
very good high ISO (25,600)
exports RAW formats
43
quite wide (25mm)
screen is a good size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Optical)
good MP (16MP)
lack of manual focus
can't change lens (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.1)
no manual control
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
lack of Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL6 as a Vlogging camera
Panasonic SZ1 as a Vlogging camera
79
selfie friendly display
has touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
provides face detect autofocus
great video quality (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lack of microphone port
32
quite wide (25mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
offers face detect focus
lighter than competition in class (131 grams)
slow max aperture (f3.1)
doesn't contain selfie friendly display
video resolution low (1280 x 720 pxls)
lack of microphone jack
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Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic SZ1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL6 and Panasonic SZ1
 Olympus PEN E-PL6Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ1
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus PEN E-PL6 Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ1
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Introduced 2014-08-01 2012-01-09
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic VI -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 16MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4608 x 3456 4608 x 3456
Maximum native ISO 25600 6400
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW images
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Total focus points 35 23
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 25-250mm (10.0x)
Max aperture - f/3.1-5.9
Macro focusing range - 4cm
Available lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.9
Screen
Display type Tilting Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3 inches 3 inches
Display resolution 460k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Display tech - TFT Color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) None
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60s 8s
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000s 1/1600s
Continuous shooting speed 8.0 frames per sec 1.0 frames per sec
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) 5.60 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video file format MPEG-4, Motion JPEG MPEG-4
Microphone input
Headphone input
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
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 325 gr (0.72 lbs) 131 gr (0.29 lbs)
Dimensions 111 x 64 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") 99 x 59 x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 360 photos 250 photos
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLS-5 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots Single Single
Price at launch $300 $179