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Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic ZS15

Portability
88
Imaging
53
Features
77
Overall
62
Olympus PEN E-PL6 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS15 front
Portability
92
Imaging
36
Features
37
Overall
36

Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic ZS15 Key Specs

Olympus E-PL6
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 325g - 111 x 64 x 38mm
  • Released August 2014
  • Renewed by Olympus E-PL7
Panasonic ZS15
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-384mm (F3.3-5.9) lens
  • 208g - 105 x 58 x 33mm
  • Revealed June 2012
  • Also referred to as Lumix DMC-TZ25
  • Successor is Panasonic ZS20
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Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic ZS15 Overview

On this page, we will be reviewing the Olympus E-PL6 and Panasonic ZS15, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a substantial gap between the resolutions of the E-PL6 (16MP) and ZS15 (12MP) and the E-PL6 (Four Thirds) and ZS15 (1/2.3") have different sensor measurements.

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The E-PL6 was unveiled 2 years after the ZS15 which is quite a big difference as far as technology is concerned. Both the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL6 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic ZS15 being a Compact camera.

Before we go into a detailed comparison, here is a simple highlight of how the E-PL6 scores vs the ZS15 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL6 over the Panasonic ZS15

 E-PL6 ZS15 
RevealedAugust 2014June 2012Newer by 26 months
Focus manually Very accurate focus
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS15 over the Olympus E-PL6

 ZS15 E-PL6 

Common features in the Olympus E-PL6 and Panasonic ZS15

 E-PL6 ZS15 
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen measurements
Screen resolution460k460kIdentical screen resolution

Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic ZS15 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is intending to travel with your camera often, you'll need to take into account its weight and volume. The Olympus E-PL6 comes with physical measurements of 111mm x 64mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") and a weight of 325 grams (0.72 lbs) and the Panasonic ZS15 has sizing of 105mm x 58mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3") having a weight of 208 grams (0.46 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-PL6 and Panasonic ZS15 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you are utilizing at that time. Here is a front view physical size comparison of the E-PL6 compared to the ZS15.

Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic ZS15 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL6 and ZS15 is 88 and 92 respectively.

Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic ZS15 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic ZS15 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it can be hard to visualize the gap between sensor dimensions only by going over a spec sheet. The pic below will give you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PL6 and ZS15.

As you can see, both cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The E-PL6 with its bigger sensor is going to make shooting shallower depth of field less difficult and the Olympus E-PL6 will offer you more detail having an extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop pictures more aggressively. The more modern E-PL6 provides an advantage when it comes to sensor technology.

Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic ZS15 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic ZS15 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic ZS15 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL6 Portrait photography details
Panasonic ZS15 Portrait photography details
71
has manual focus
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with face detect focusing
exports RAW formats
21
manual focus not available
can't use external flash
MP count low (12MP)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL6 Street photography information
Panasonic ZS15 Street photography information
85
screen tilts
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
has focus via touch
above average high ISO (25,600)
61
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than average in class (208g)
no articulating screen
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL6 Sports photography information
Panasonic ZS15 Sports photography information
66
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with tracking focus
no phase detect AF
36
incredible zoom range (24-384mm 16.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
supports tracking focus
very slow continuous shooting (2.0 frames/s)
MP count low (12MP)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
bad battery pack (260 per charge)
does not have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL6 as a Travel photography camera
Panasonic ZS15 as a Travel photography camera
85
has focus via touch
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
screen is selfie friendly
61
lighter than average in class (208 grams)
has built in flash
pretty wide (24mm)
great zoom (384mm)
does not have Time Lapse mode
bad battery pack (260 shots)
MP count low (12MP)
does not feature selfie friendly screen
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL6 Landscape photography factors
Panasonic ZS15 Landscape photography factors
80
has manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice screen size (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count good (16MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
above average high ISO (25,600)
exports RAW formats
37
pretty wide (24mm)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
manual focus not available
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
MP count low (12 megapixels)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
bad battery pack (260 per charge)
does not have Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL6 as a Vlogging camera
Panasonic ZS15 as a Vlogging camera
79
screen is selfie friendly
has touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
comes with face detect focusing
high quality video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
does not have mic socket
33
pretty wide (24mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lighter than average in class (208 grams)
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
does not feature selfie friendly screen
does not have mic port
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Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic ZS15 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL6 and Panasonic ZS15
 Olympus PEN E-PL6Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS15
General Information
Brand Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus PEN E-PL6 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS15
Alternative name - Lumix DMC-TZ25
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Superzoom
Released 2014-08-01 2012-06-29
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic VI -
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 12 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 4608 x 3456 4000 x 3000
Maximum native ISO 25600 6400
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW support
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Number of focus points 35 23
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 24-384mm (16.0x)
Maximal aperture - f/3.3-5.9
Macro focus range - 3cm
Total lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.8
Screen
Range of screen Tilting Fixed Type
Screen sizing 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 460k dot 460k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) None
Features
Min shutter speed 60 seconds 15 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shutter speed 8.0fps 2.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 7.00 m (bundled FL-LM1) 6.40 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video file format MPEG-4, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD
Mic jack
Headphone jack
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 proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 325 gr (0.72 lb) 208 gr (0.46 lb)
Physical dimensions 111 x 64 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") 105 x 58 x 33mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 360 shots 260 shots
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLS-5 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots Single Single
Launch price $300 $279