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Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic SZ1

Portability
86
Imaging
54
Features
81
Overall
64
Olympus PEN E-PL7 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ1 front
Portability
95
Imaging
39
Features
34
Overall
37

Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic SZ1 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
  • Revealed September 2014
  • Previous Model is Olympus E-PL6
  • Newer Model is Olympus E-PL8
Panasonic SZ1
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-250mm (F3.1-5.9) lens
  • 131g - 99 x 59 x 21mm
  • Released January 2012
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Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic SZ1 Overview

Lets examine more closely at the Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic SZ1, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. The resolution of the E-PL7 (16MP) and the SZ1 (16MP) is pretty well matched but the E-PL7 (Four Thirds) and SZ1 (1/2.3") come with totally different sensor size.

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The E-PL7 was manufactured 2 years later than the SZ1 and that is quite a large difference as far as tech is concerned. Both cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-PL7 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic SZ1 being a Compact camera.

Before diving straight into a complete comparison, below is a short summary of how the E-PL7 grades versus the SZ1 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL7 over the Panasonic SZ1

 E-PL7 SZ1 
ReleasedSeptember 2014January 2012Fresher by 33 months
Focus manually Dial accurate focusing
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution1037k230kCrisper screen (+807k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic SZ1 over the Olympus E-PL7

 SZ1 E-PL7 

Common features in the Olympus E-PL7 and Panasonic SZ1

 E-PL7 SZ1 
Screen sizing3"3"Equivalent screen size

Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic SZ1 Physical Comparison

If you're planning to carry your camera, you'll need to think about its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-PL7 offers 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) while the Panasonic SZ1 has measurements of 99mm x 59mm x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8") having a weight of 131 grams (0.29 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic SZ1 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you are utilizing during that time. Here is the front view dimensions comparison of the E-PL7 and the SZ1.

Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic SZ1 size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL7 and SZ1 is 86 and 95 respectively.

Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic SZ1 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic SZ1 Sensor Comparison

Often, it can be tough to envision the difference between sensor sizing only by looking at specifications. The photograph underneath may offer you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL7 and SZ1.

Plainly, each of these cameras offer the same exact resolution albeit not the same sensor sizing. The E-PL7 has the bigger sensor which will make achieving bokeh simpler. The more modern E-PL7 will have an edge with regard to sensor technology.

Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic SZ1 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic SZ1 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic SZ1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL7 as a Portrait photography camera
Panasonic SZ1 as a Portrait photography camera
72
has manual focus
decent MP (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
features face detection focusing
exports RAW files
34
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
provides face detect focusing
no manual focus
no manual control
external flash not possible
sensor is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL7 Street photography advice
Panasonic SZ1 Street photography advice
84
screen tilts up and down
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
supports touch to focus
good high ISO (25,600)
63
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition in class (131g)
fixed screen
sensor is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL7 Sports photography information
Panasonic SZ1 Sports photography information
67
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
features tracking autofocus
no phase detect AF
40
built in image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count decent (16MP)
provides tracking focus
very slow continuous shooting (1.0 frames/s)
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL7 as a Travel photography camera
Panasonic SZ1 as a Travel photography camera
85
supports touch to focus
decent MP (16 megapixels)
selfie friendly screen
70
lighter than competition in class (131 grams)
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
reasonably wide (25mm)
long zoom (250mm)
missing Timelapse recording
screen isn't selfie friendly
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-PL7
Landscape photography with Panasonic SZ1
80
has manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice screen size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
good high ISO (25,600)
exports RAW files
43
reasonably wide (25mm)
nice screen size (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
no manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
no manual control
sensor is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
missing Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL7 as a Vlogging camera
Panasonic SZ1 as a Vlogging camera
78
selfie friendly screen
touch screen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
features face detection focusing
high video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
missing external microphone jack
32
reasonably wide (25mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
provides face detect focusing
lighter than competition in class (131 grams)
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
screen isn't selfie friendly
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pxls)
missing microphone support
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Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic SZ1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL7 and Panasonic SZ1
 Olympus PEN E-PL7Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ1
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus PEN E-PL7 Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ1
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Revealed 2014-09-01 2012-01-09
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic VII -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 16 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4608 x 3456 4608 x 3456
Max native ISO 25600 6400
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW files
Autofocusing
Manual focus
AF touch
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Number of focus points 81 23
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 25-250mm (10.0x)
Maximal aperture - f/3.1-5.9
Macro focus distance - 4cm
Total lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.9
Screen
Type of screen Tilting Fixed Type
Screen size 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 1,037 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Screen tech - TFT Color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 secs 8 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/1600 secs
Continuous shooting rate 8.0 frames/s 1.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range no built-in flash 5.60 m
Flash modes no built-in flash Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video format H.264, Motion JPEG MPEG-4
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 357g (0.79 pounds) 131g (0.29 pounds)
Dimensions 115 x 67 x 38mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 1.5") 99 x 59 x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 72 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 22.7 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 12.4 not tested
DXO Low light score 873 not tested
Other
Battery life 350 pictures 250 pictures
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLS-50 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC card SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots Single Single
Cost at launch $499 $179