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Olympus E-PL7 vs Olympus VH-515

Portability
86
Imaging
53
Features
81
Overall
64
Olympus PEN E-PL7 front
 
Olympus VH-515 front
Portability
95
Imaging
36
Features
34
Overall
35

Olympus E-PL7 vs Olympus VH-515 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
  • Announced September 2014
  • Succeeded the Olympus E-PL6
  • Replacement is Olympus E-PL8
Olympus VH-515
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 1600
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 26-130mm (F2.8-6.5) lens
  • 152g - 102 x 60 x 21mm
  • Introduced August 2012
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Olympus E-PL7 vs Olympus VH-515 Overview

Lets examine more in depth at the Olympus E-PL7 versus Olympus VH-515, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Compact and they are both manufactured by Olympus. There is a significant difference among the image resolutions of the E-PL7 (16MP) and VH-515 (12MP) and the E-PL7 (Four Thirds) and VH-515 (1/2.3") enjoy different sensor dimensions.

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The E-PL7 was introduced 2 years later than the VH-515 and that is a fairly sizable gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-PL7 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus VH-515 being a Compact camera.

Before we go straight into a step-by-step comparison, below is a brief summation of how the E-PL7 matches up against the VH-515 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL7 over the Olympus VH-515

 E-PL7 VH-515 
IntroducedSeptember 2014August 2012Fresher by 25 months
Focus manually Very exact focus
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display resolution1037k460kCrisper display (+577k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Reasons to pick Olympus VH-515 over the Olympus E-PL7

 VH-515 E-PL7 

Common features in the Olympus E-PL7 and Olympus VH-515

 E-PL7 VH-515 
Display sizing3"3"Equivalent display sizing
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Olympus E-PL7 vs Olympus VH-515 Physical Comparison

When you are aiming to carry your camera often, you should take into account its weight and size. The Olympus E-PL7 features outer dimensions of 115mm x 67mm x 38mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 1.5") along with a weight of 357 grams (0.79 lbs) whilst the Olympus VH-515 has specifications of 102mm x 60mm x 21mm (4.0" x 2.4" x 0.8") with a weight of 152 grams (0.34 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-PL7 versus Olympus VH-515 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you are utilizing during that time. The following is the front view measurements comparison of the E-PL7 and the VH-515.

Olympus E-PL7 vs Olympus VH-515 size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the E-PL7 and VH-515 is 86 and 95 respectively.

Olympus E-PL7 vs Olympus VH-515 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL7 vs Olympus VH-515 Sensor Comparison

Usually, its hard to visualize the gap in sensor sizing only by viewing a spec sheet. The visual underneath should provide you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PL7 and VH-515.

As you can see, each of the cameras enjoy different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The E-PL7 using its larger sensor is going to make getting shallower DOF easier and the Olympus E-PL7 will result in extra detail using its extra 4MP. Greater resolution can also let you crop pics far more aggressively. The younger E-PL7 should have an advantage with regard to sensor technology.

Olympus E-PL7 vs Olympus VH-515 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL7 vs Olympus VH-515 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL7 vs Olympus VH-515 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL7 as a Portrait photography camera
Olympus VH-515 as a Portrait photography camera
71
focusing manually
good resolution (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
includes face detection focusing
saves RAW formats
27
has face detection focus
manual focus not available
manual exposure not available
external flash not possible
low megapixels (12MP)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL7 as a Street photography camera
Olympus VH-515 as a Street photography camera
84
screen tilts up and down
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
offers touch to focus
great ISO range (25,600)
62
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
supports focus via touch
no articulating screen
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-PL7
Sports photography with Olympus VH-515
66
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good resolution (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
includes tracking autofocus
lacks phase detect AF
32
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
has tracking autofocus
max frames per second low (2.0 frames per second)
lack of shutter priority mode
low megapixels (12MP)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL7 Travel photography advice
Olympus VH-515 Travel photography advice
85
offers touch to focus
good resolution (16MP)
screen is selfie friendly
62
supports focus via touch
flash built-in
reasonably wide (26mm)
missing Timelapse recording
low megapixels (12MP)
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL7 Landscape photography factors
Olympus VH-515 Landscape photography factors
79
focusing manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a good size (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good resolution (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
great ISO range (25,600)
saves RAW formats
37
reasonably wide (26mm)
nice screen size (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
manual focus not available
can't swap lenses (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
manual exposure not available
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
missing Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-PL7
Vlogging with Olympus VH-515
78
screen is selfie friendly
touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
includes face detection focusing
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
lack of external microphone support
35
reasonably wide (26mm)
touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
has face detection focus
video res high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
missing external microphone support
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Olympus E-PL7 vs Olympus VH-515 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL7 and Olympus VH-515
 Olympus PEN E-PL7Olympus VH-515
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Olympus
Model type Olympus PEN E-PL7 Olympus VH-515
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Announced 2014-09-01 2012-08-21
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic VII TruePic III+
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 12 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3 and 16:9
Full resolution 4608 x 3456 4608 x 3456
Max native ISO 25600 1600
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW files
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Total focus points 81 -
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 26-130mm (5.0x)
Highest aperture - f/2.8-6.5
Macro focusing distance - 5cm
Amount of lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.8
Screen
Type of screen Tilting Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3" 3"
Screen resolution 1,037k dots 460k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Screen tech - TFT Color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60s 4s
Highest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/2000s
Continuous shooting rate 8.0 frames per sec 2.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 4.70 m
Flash options no built-in flash Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in
Hot shoe
AEB
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 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30,15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 180 (30,15 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video format H.264, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone support
Headphone support
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 sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 357 gr (0.79 lb) 152 gr (0.34 lb)
Dimensions 115 x 67 x 38mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 1.5") 102 x 60 x 21mm (4.0" x 2.4" x 0.8")
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 shots -
Form of battery Battery Pack -
Battery ID BLS-50 LI-50B
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC card SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots One One
Cost at launch $499 $648