Olympus E-PL9 vs Olympus SZ-10

Its time to take a deeper look at the Olympus E-PL9 and Olympus SZ-10, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom and they are both sold by Olympus. The sensor resolution of the E-PL9 (16MP) and the SZ-10 (14MP) is relatively close but the E-PL9 (Four Thirds) and SZ-10 (1/2.3") provide totally different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The E-PL9 was unveiled 7 years after the SZ-10 which is a fairly significant gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL9 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus SZ-10 being a Compact camera.

Before getting straight to a step-by-step comparison, here is a concise overview of how the E-PL9 grades against the SZ-10 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

This is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus PEN E-PL9 and Olympus SZ-10. The full galleries are viewable at Olympus E-PL9 Gallery and Olympus SZ-10 Gallery.

When you are intending to travel with your camera often, you will want to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-PL9 provides physical dimensions of 117mm x 68mm x 39mm (4.6" x 2.7" x 1.5") having a weight of 380 grams (0.84 lbs) whilst the Olympus SZ-10 has dimensions of 106mm x 67mm x 38mm (4.2" x 2.6" x 1.5") along with a weight of 215 grams (0.47 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-PL9 and Olympus SZ-10 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you are utilising at the time. Below is a front view measurements comparison of the E-PL9 against the SZ-10.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL9 and SZ-10 is 85 and 90 respectively.

More often than not, it's hard to see the difference in sensor dimensions merely by viewing a spec sheet. The picture underneath will help give you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PL9 and SZ-10.

As you can see, the two cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The E-PL9 with its bigger sensor will make getting bokeh simpler and the Olympus E-PL9 will result in extra detail having an extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop pictures a bit more aggressively. The younger E-PL9 is going to have a benefit in sensor technology.