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Olympus E-PL7 vs Olympus SZ-31MR iHS

Portability
86
Imaging
53
Features
81
Overall
64
Olympus PEN E-PL7 front
 
Olympus SZ-31MR iHS front
Portability
89
Imaging
39
Features
47
Overall
42

Olympus E-PL7 vs Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Key Specs

Olympus E-PL7
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 357g - 115 x 67 x 38mm
  • Released September 2014
  • Superseded the Olympus E-PL6
  • Updated by Olympus E-PL8
Olympus SZ-31MR iHS
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-600mm (F3.0-6.9) lens
  • 226g - 106 x 69 x 40mm
  • Revealed February 2012
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Olympus E-PL7 vs Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Overview

Let's look a little more closely at the Olympus E-PL7 vs Olympus SZ-31MR iHS, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom and both are designed by Olympus. The image resolution of the E-PL7 (16MP) and the SZ-31MR iHS (16MP) is fairly well matched but the E-PL7 (Four Thirds) and SZ-31MR iHS (1/2.3") have totally different sensor dimensions.

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The E-PL7 was brought out 2 years later than the SZ-31MR iHS and that is quite a significant difference as far as technology is concerned. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL7 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS being a Compact camera.

Before we go into a detailed comparison, here is a concise highlight of how the E-PL7 grades vs the SZ-31MR iHS when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL7 over the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS

 E-PL7 SZ-31MR iHS 
RevealedSeptember 2014February 2012More recent by 32 months
Manual focus Dial precise focusing
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display resolution1037k920kCrisper display (+117k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies

Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-31MR iHS over the Olympus E-PL7

 SZ-31MR iHS E-PL7 

Common features in the Olympus E-PL7 and Olympus SZ-31MR iHS

 E-PL7 SZ-31MR iHS 
Display dimensions3"3"Equal display sizing
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Olympus E-PL7 vs Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Physical Comparison

If you're intending to lug around your camera frequently, you'll need to factor its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-PL7 features outside 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-31MR iHS has dimensions of 106mm x 69mm x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") having a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-PL7 vs Olympus SZ-31MR iHS in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you are employing at the time. Below is a front view physical size comparison of the E-PL7 against the SZ-31MR iHS.

Olympus E-PL7 vs Olympus SZ-31MR iHS size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL7 and SZ-31MR iHS is 86 and 89 respectively.

Olympus E-PL7 vs Olympus SZ-31MR iHS top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL7 vs Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Sensor Comparison

Normally, it is tough to see the gap between sensor measurements purely by looking at a spec sheet. The visual underneath might offer you a clearer sense of the sensor measurements in the E-PL7 and SZ-31MR iHS.

Clearly, both of these cameras have the same megapixel count but not the same sensor measurements. The E-PL7 features the larger sensor which should make obtaining shallow depth of field easier. The more recent E-PL7 will have an advantage with regard to sensor tech.

Olympus E-PL7 vs Olympus SZ-31MR iHS sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL7 vs Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL7 vs Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-PL7
Portrait photography with Olympus SZ-31MR iHS
71
focusing manually
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides face detect focus
delivers RAW formats
34
MP count good (16MP)
provides face detection focus
lack of manual focus
no manual control
no external flash support
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL7 Street photography features
Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Street photography features
84
screen tilts
image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
offers focus via touch
great high ISO (25,600)
64
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
comes with focus by touch
lighter than competition (226g)
screen is fixed
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-PL7
Sports photography with Olympus SZ-31MR iHS
66
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides tracking focus
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
44
amazing zoom range (25-600mm 24.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
MP count good (16 megapixels)
provides tracking autofocus
lack of shutter priority mode
small sensor size (1/2.3")
low battery pack (200 shots)
lacks phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL7 as a Travel photography camera
Olympus SZ-31MR iHS as a Travel photography camera
85
offers focus via touch
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
selfie friendly display
67
lighter than competition (226g)
comes with focus by touch
MP count good (16MP)
has built in flash
relatively wide (25mm)
long reach (600mm)
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
low battery pack (200 CIPA)
does not feature selfie friendly display
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.0)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-PL7
Landscape photography with Olympus SZ-31MR iHS
79
focusing manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice screen size (3")
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
great high ISO (25,600)
delivers RAW formats
41
relatively wide (25mm)
nice screen size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
MP count good (16 megapixels)
lack of manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.0)
no manual control
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
low battery pack (200 shots)
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
Photography Glossary

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL7 Vlogging information
Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Vlogging information
78
selfie friendly display
touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
provides face detect focus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
doesn't have mic support
35
relatively wide (25mm)
touchscreen enabled
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
provides face detection focus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lighter than competition (226 grams)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.0)
does not feature selfie friendly display
doesn't have external mic jack
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Olympus E-PL7 vs Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL7 and Olympus SZ-31MR iHS
 Olympus PEN E-PL7Olympus SZ-31MR iHS
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Olympus
Model type Olympus PEN E-PL7 Olympus SZ-31MR iHS
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Superzoom
Released 2014-09-01 2012-02-08
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic VII Dual TruePic V
Sensor type CMOS BSI-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 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 4608 x 3456 4608 x 3456
Maximum native ISO 25600 6400
Min native ISO 100 80
RAW files
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Total focus points 81 -
Cross type focus points - -
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 25-600mm (24.0x)
Highest aperture - f/3.0-6.9
Macro focusing distance - 1cm
Amount of lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.8
Screen
Range of display Tilting Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3" 3"
Resolution of display 1,037 thousand dot 920 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Display technology - Hypercrystal III TFT Color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) None
Features
Min shutter speed 60 secs 4 secs
Max shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/1700 secs
Continuous shutter speed 8.0 frames/s 7.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 9.30 m
Flash options no built-in flash Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 180 (30fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video format H.264, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, H.264
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 357g (0.79 lbs) 226g (0.50 lbs)
Physical dimensions 115 x 67 x 38mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 1.5") 106 x 69 x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6")
DXO scores
DXO Overall 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 photos 200 photos
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLS-50 LI-50B
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom) Yes (2 or 12 sec, pet auto shutter)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC card SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots Single Single
Retail cost $499 $0