Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic ZS15

On this page, we will be comparing the Olympus E-PL7 versus Panasonic ZS15, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. There is a noticeable difference among the sensor resolutions of the E-PL7 (16MP) and ZS15 (12MP) and the E-PL7 (Four Thirds) and ZS15 (1/2.3") have totally different sensor measurements.

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The E-PL7 was released 2 years later than the ZS15 and that is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL7 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic ZS15 being a Compact camera.

Before getting right into a comprehensive comparison, here is a brief summation of how the E-PL7 scores versus the ZS15 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Below is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus PEN E-PL7 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS15. The complete galleries are available at Olympus E-PL7 Gallery & Panasonic ZS15 Gallery.

For those who are intending to carry your camera frequently, you'll need to think about its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-PL7 has outside measurements 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 ZS15 has dimensions of 105mm x 58mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3") having a weight of 208 grams (0.46 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-PL7 versus Panasonic ZS15 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you are utilizing at that time. Below is a front view over all size comparison of the E-PL7 and the ZS15.

Using size and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL7 and ZS15 is 86 and 92 respectively.

Often, it can be hard to visualise the contrast in sensor sizing simply by viewing specs. The visual below will help provide you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PL7 and ZS15.

All in all, both of those cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The E-PL7 because of its bigger sensor will make getting shallower DOF easier and the Olympus E-PL7 will result in greater detail as a result of its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will enable you to crop shots more aggressively. The newer E-PL7 will have an edge with regard to sensor innovation.