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Olympus E-PL7 vs Olympus SZ-15

Portability
86
Imaging
54
Features
81
Overall
64
Olympus PEN E-PL7 front
 
Olympus SZ-15 front
Portability
88
Imaging
40
Features
50
Overall
44

Olympus E-PL7 vs Olympus SZ-15 Key Specs

Olympus E-PL7
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 357g - 115 x 67 x 38mm
  • Introduced September 2014
  • Replaced the Olympus E-PL6
  • Newer Model is Olympus E-PL8
Olympus SZ-15
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 23-483mm (F2.8-5.9) lens
  • 250g - 108 x 70 x 40mm
  • Introduced June 2013
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Olympus E-PL7 vs Olympus SZ-15 Overview

Lets look a bit more closely at the Olympus E-PL7 and Olympus SZ-15, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom and both of them are manufactured by Olympus. The sensor resolution of the E-PL7 (16MP) and the SZ-15 (16MP) is relatively well matched but the E-PL7 (Four Thirds) and SZ-15 (1/2.3") use totally different sensor sizes.

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The E-PL7 was revealed 15 months after the SZ-15 which makes the cameras a generation away from each other. The two cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL7 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus SZ-15 being a Compact camera.

Before diving in to a in-depth comparison, below is a concise overview of how the E-PL7 scores versus the SZ-15 for portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL7 over the Olympus SZ-15

 E-PL7 SZ-15 
IntroducedSeptember 2014June 2013Newer by 15 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution1037k460kSharper screen (+577k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-15 over the Olympus E-PL7

 SZ-15 E-PL7 

Common features in the Olympus E-PL7 and Olympus SZ-15

 E-PL7 SZ-15 
Focus manually Dial precise focus
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen dimensions

Olympus E-PL7 vs Olympus SZ-15 Physical Comparison

In case you're going to travel with your camera often, you should think about its weight and volume. The Olympus E-PL7 has exterior measurements of 115mm x 67mm x 38mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 1.5") accompanied by a weight of 357 grams (0.79 lbs) whilst the Olympus SZ-15 has sizing of 108mm x 70mm x 40mm (4.3" x 2.8" x 1.6") with a weight of 250 grams (0.55 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-PL7 and Olympus SZ-15 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you have chosen at that moment. Following is the front view scale comparison of the E-PL7 and the SZ-15.

Olympus E-PL7 vs Olympus SZ-15 size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL7 and SZ-15 is 86 and 88 respectively.

Olympus E-PL7 vs Olympus SZ-15 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL7 vs Olympus SZ-15 Sensor Comparison

Usually, it can be tough to visualise the gap between sensor dimensions just by reading through a spec sheet. The image underneath will help give you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-PL7 and SZ-15.

Clearly, each of these cameras posses the exact same resolution albeit not the same sensor dimensions. The E-PL7 includes the bigger sensor which is going to make obtaining shallow DOF simpler. The more recent E-PL7 will have an edge with regard to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-PL7 vs Olympus SZ-15 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL7 vs Olympus SZ-15 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL7 vs Olympus SZ-15 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-PL7
Portrait photography with Olympus SZ-15
72
manual focus
megapixel count decent (16MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
includes face detect focusing
delivers RAW formats
44
has manual focus
megapixel count decent (16MP)
supports face detect autofocus
external flash not possible
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL7 Street photography details
Olympus SZ-15 Street photography details
84
tilting screen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
features focus by touch
great ISO range (25,600)
60
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition (250g)
fixed screen
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL7 Sports photography details
Olympus SZ-15 Sports photography details
67
image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
includes tracking focus
doesn't have phase detect AF
53
amazing zoom range (23-483mm 21.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
supports tracking focus
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL7 Travel photography details
Olympus SZ-15 Travel photography details
85
features focus by touch
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
screen is selfie friendly
68
lighter than competition (250 grams)
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
rather wide (23mm)
very long reach (483mm)
no Time Lapse mode
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
Photography Glossary

Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-PL7
Landscape photography with Olympus SZ-15
80
manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a decent size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
great ISO range (25,600)
delivers RAW formats
49
has manual focus
rather wide (23mm)
screen size is good (3 inch)
image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count decent (16MP)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
no Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL7 Vlogging advice
Olympus SZ-15 Vlogging advice
78
screen is selfie friendly
built-in touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
includes face detect focusing
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lack of mic support
34
rather wide (23mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
supports face detect autofocus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
lighter than competition (250 grams)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
no mic port
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Olympus E-PL7 vs Olympus SZ-15 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL7 and Olympus SZ-15
 Olympus PEN E-PL7Olympus SZ-15
General Information
Make Olympus Olympus
Model type Olympus PEN E-PL7 Olympus SZ-15
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Superzoom
Introduced 2014-09-01 2013-06-21
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic VII -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 16 megapixels
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 3200
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Total focus points 81 -
Cross type focus points - -
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 23-483mm (21.0x)
Max aperture - f/2.8-5.9
Macro focusing distance - 5cm
Available lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.8
Screen
Range of screen Tilting Fixed Type
Screen size 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 1,037 thousand dot 460 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Screen technology - LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) None
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60s 8s
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000s 1/2000s
Continuous shooting speed 8.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 3.50 m
Flash options no built-in flash Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (30fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 480fps (176 x 128), 240fps (384 x 288)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data format H.264, Motion JPEG AVI MPEG4, Motion JPEG
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 357 gr (0.79 pounds) 250 gr (0.55 pounds)
Dimensions 115 x 67 x 38mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 1.5") 108 x 70 x 40mm (4.3" x 2.8" x 1.6")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 72 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 22.7 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.4 not tested
DXO Low light rating 873 not tested
Other
Battery life 350 images -
Style of battery Battery Pack -
Battery ID BLS-50 SLB-10A
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec, Double)
Time lapse recording
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC card SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots Single Single
Cost at launch $499 $200