Clicky

Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic XS1

Portability
88
Imaging
53
Features
77
Overall
62
Olympus PEN E-PL6 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-XS1 front
Portability
97
Imaging
40
Features
26
Overall
34

Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic XS1 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
  • Revealed August 2014
  • Refreshed by Olympus E-PL7
Panasonic XS1
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 24-120mm (F2.8-6.9) lens
  • 103g - 94 x 54 x 14mm
  • Launched January 2013
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic XS1 Overview

Let's look closer at the Olympus E-PL6 and Panasonic XS1, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Compact by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. The sensor resolution of the E-PL6 (16MP) and the XS1 (16MP) is fairly similar but the E-PL6 (Four Thirds) and XS1 (1/2.3") boast totally different sensor measurements.

Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

The E-PL6 was announced 20 months after the XS1 making them a generation away from each other. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-PL6 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic XS1 being a Compact camera.

Before we go straight to a full comparison, here is a simple overview of how the E-PL6 scores versus the XS1 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL6 over the Panasonic XS1

 E-PL6 XS1 
LaunchedAugust 2014January 2013Newer by 20 months
Manually focus Dial exact focus
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display size3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution460k230kClearer display (+230k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic XS1 over the Olympus E-PL6

 XS1 E-PL6 

Common features in the Olympus E-PL6 and Panasonic XS1

 E-PL6 XS1 

Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic XS1 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is intending to travel with your camera, you are going to need to think about its weight and size. The Olympus E-PL6 has exterior measurements of 111mm x 64mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") along with a weight of 325 grams (0.72 lbs) whilst the Panasonic XS1 has specifications of 94mm x 54mm x 14mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.6") along with a weight of 103 grams (0.23 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-PL6 and Panasonic XS1 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you are using at that time. Below is a front view proportions comparison of the E-PL6 vs the XS1.

Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic XS1 size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability score of the E-PL6 and XS1 is 88 and 97 respectively.

Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic XS1 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic XS1 Sensor Comparison

Generally, it is very tough to visualise the difference between sensor dimensions simply by reviewing specs. The pic underneath may offer you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the E-PL6 and XS1.

All in all, both cameras come with the identical resolution but not the same sensor dimensions. The E-PL6 provides the larger sensor which should make obtaining shallow depth of field less difficult. The younger E-PL6 will have an edge in sensor innovation.

Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic XS1 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic XS1 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic XS1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL6 Portrait photography highlights
Panasonic XS1 Portrait photography highlights
71
focusing manually
decent megapixels (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports face detection focus
exports RAW files
30
good resolution (16 megapixels)
no manual focus
no manual exposure
external flash not possible
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL6 Street photography advice
Panasonic XS1 Street photography advice
85
tilting screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
comes with focus by touch
good ISO range (25,600)
64
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than others in class (103g)
screen is fixed
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-PL6
Sports photography with Panasonic XS1
66
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports tracking autofocus
has no phase detect auto focus
41
has image stabilization (Optical)
good resolution (16MP)
supports tracking autofocus
low frames per second (1.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority mode
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
has no phase detect auto focus
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-PL6
Travel photography with Panasonic XS1
85
comes with focus by touch
decent megapixels (16MP)
selfie friendly screen
69
lighter than others in class (103 grams)
good resolution (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
fairly wide (24mm)
lack of Time Lapse function
display is not selfie friendly
slow max aperture (f2.8)
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL6 Landscape photography highlights
Panasonic XS1 Landscape photography highlights
80
focusing manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is decent (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent megapixels (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
good ISO range (25,600)
exports RAW files
39
fairly wide (24mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
good resolution (16 megapixels)
no manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f2.8)
tiny screen (2.7 inches)
no manual exposure
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
lack of Time Lapse function
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL6 as a Vlogging camera
Panasonic XS1 as a Vlogging camera
79
selfie friendly screen
touch screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
supports face detection focus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
no external microphone jack
31
fairly wide (24mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than others in class (103g)
slow max aperture (f2.8)
display is not selfie friendly
low res video (1280 x 720 pxls)
lack of external mic support
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic XS1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL6 and Panasonic XS1
 Olympus PEN E-PL6Panasonic Lumix DMC-XS1
General Information
Company Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus PEN E-PL6 Panasonic Lumix DMC-XS1
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Revealed 2014-08-01 2013-01-07
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic VI -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 -
Maximum resolution 4608 x 3456 4608 x 3456
Maximum native ISO 25600 6400
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW format
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
AF continuous
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 35 -
Cross type focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 24-120mm (5.0x)
Maximum aperture - f/2.8-6.9
Macro focusing distance - 5cm
Amount of lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.9
Screen
Type of display Tilting Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3" 2.7"
Display resolution 460k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Display technology - TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) None
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 seconds 60 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/1600 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 8.0 frames/s 1.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 7.00 m (bundled FL-LM1) 4.40 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported 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 format MPEG-4, Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Mic support
Headphone support
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
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 325 gr (0.72 lbs) 103 gr (0.23 lbs)
Physical dimensions 111 x 64 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") 94 x 54 x 14mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.6")
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 photographs 260 photographs
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLS-5 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots One One
Retail cost $300 $130