Olympus E-PL9 vs Olympus SP-800 UZ

Its time to take a more detailed look at the Olympus E-PL9 vs Olympus SP-800 UZ, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom and they are both built by Olympus. The sensor resolution of the E-PL9 (16MP) and the SP-800 UZ (14MP) is relatively similar but the E-PL9 (Four Thirds) and SP-800 UZ (1/2.3") possess different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The E-PL9 was brought out 8 years later than the SP-800 UZ and that is quite a large gap as far as tech is concerned. The two cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL9 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus SP-800 UZ being a Compact camera.

Before diving through a in depth comparison, below is a quick synopsis of how the E-PL9 matches up vs the SP-800 UZ with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Here is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus PEN E-PL9 and Olympus SP-800 UZ. The entire galleries are viewable at Olympus E-PL9 Gallery and Olympus SP-800 UZ Gallery.

If you are planning to carry your camera often, you will want to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-PL9 has got external dimensions of 117mm x 68mm x 39mm (4.6" x 2.7" x 1.5") with a weight of 380 grams (0.84 lbs) and the Olympus SP-800 UZ has dimensions of 110mm x 90mm x 91mm (4.3" x 3.5" x 3.6") and a weight of 455 grams (1.00 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-PL9 vs Olympus SP-800 UZ in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you have at that time. Here is the front view scale comparison of the E-PL9 and the SP-800 UZ.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability score of the E-PL9 and SP-800 UZ is 85 and 69 respectively.

Often, its tough to picture the gap between sensor sizing merely by going over a spec sheet. The graphic here might offer you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PL9 and SP-800 UZ.

Clearly, each of these cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-PL9 because of its bigger sensor is going to make shooting shallow depth of field less difficult and the Olympus E-PL9 will offer extra detail having its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will help you crop shots much more aggressively. The fresher E-PL9 provides a benefit in sensor tech.