Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic ZS50

Let's take a deeper look at the Olympus E-PL7 versus Panasonic ZS50, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by companies Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a large gap among the resolutions of the E-PL7 (16MP) and ZS50 (12MP) and the E-PL7 (Four Thirds) and ZS50 (1/2.3") offer totally different sensor sizes.

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The E-PL7 was introduced 4 months before the ZS50 so they are both of a similar age. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL7 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic ZS50 being a Compact camera.

Before getting straight to a detailed comparison, here is a quick synopsis of how the E-PL7 grades against the ZS50 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN E-PL7 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS50. The whole galleries are available at Olympus E-PL7 Gallery & Panasonic ZS50 Gallery.

If you're planning to carry your camera frequently, you should factor in its weight and size. The Olympus E-PL7 offers outside dimensions of 115mm x 67mm x 38mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 1.5") accompanied by a weight of 357 grams (0.79 lbs) while the Panasonic ZS50 has specifications of 111mm x 65mm x 34mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.3") along with a weight of 243 grams (0.54 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-PL7 versus Panasonic ZS50 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you use at that time. The following is a front view overall size comparison of the E-PL7 compared to the ZS50.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL7 and ZS50 is 86 and 90 respectively.

More often than not, it is very hard to see the contrast in sensor sizing merely by researching technical specs. The visual below will give you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PL7 and ZS50.

As you have seen, both cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The E-PL7 having a larger sensor will make getting bokeh easier and the Olympus E-PL7 will render more detail using its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will enable you to crop images more aggressively.