Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic SZ1

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.

Here is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus PEN E-PL6 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ1. The full galleries are provided at Olympus E-PL6 Gallery and Panasonic SZ1 Gallery.

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.

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.

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

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.