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Olympus E-PL9 vs Olympus SZ-15

Portability
85
Imaging
55
Features
78
Overall
64
Olympus PEN E-PL9 front
 
Olympus SZ-15 front
Portability
88
Imaging
40
Features
50
Overall
44

Olympus E-PL9 vs Olympus SZ-15 Key Specs

Olympus E-PL9
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 200 - 6400 (Push to 25600)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 380g - 117 x 68 x 39mm
  • Revealed February 2018
  • Succeeded the Olympus E-PL8
Olympus SZ-15
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 23-483mm (F2.8-5.9) lens
  • 250g - 108 x 70 x 40mm
  • Announced June 2013
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Olympus E-PL9 vs Olympus SZ-15 Overview

Lets look more closely at the Olympus E-PL9 and Olympus SZ-15, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom and they are both manufactured by Olympus. The image resolution of the E-PL9 (16MP) and the SZ-15 (16MP) is very close but the E-PL9 (Four Thirds) and SZ-15 (1/2.3") provide totally different sensor measurements.

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The E-PL9 was launched 4 years later than the SZ-15 and that is a fairly big difference as far as camera tech 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-15 being a Compact camera.

Before going straight to a more detailed comparison, here is a simple synopsis of how the E-PL9 scores vs the SZ-15 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL9 over the Olympus SZ-15

 E-PL9 SZ-15 
AnnouncedFebruary 2018June 2013More recent by 57 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display resolution1040k460kSharper display (+580k dot)
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-15 over the Olympus E-PL9

 SZ-15 E-PL9 

Common features in the Olympus E-PL9 and Olympus SZ-15

 E-PL9 SZ-15 
Focus manually More accurate focusing
Display dimensions3"3"Equal display measurements
Selfie screen Neither features selfie screen

Olympus E-PL9 vs Olympus SZ-15 Physical Comparison

In case you're looking to lug around your camera frequently, you'll have to think about its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-PL9 enjoys physical dimensions of 117mm x 68mm x 39mm (4.6" x 2.7" x 1.5") and a weight of 380 grams (0.84 lbs) while the Olympus SZ-15 has proportions of 108mm x 70mm x 40mm (4.3" x 2.8" x 1.6") and a weight of 250 grams (0.55 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-PL9 and Olympus SZ-15 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you are using at that moment. Following is a front view over all size comparison of the E-PL9 vs the SZ-15.

Olympus E-PL9 vs Olympus SZ-15 size comparison

Using size and weight, the portability score of the E-PL9 and SZ-15 is 85 and 88 respectively.

Olympus E-PL9 vs Olympus SZ-15 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL9 vs Olympus SZ-15 Sensor Comparison

Generally, it is very hard to see the contrast in sensor measurements only by looking through a spec sheet. The photograph here may provide you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL9 and SZ-15.

As you can see, both of the cameras provide the same MP but not the same sensor measurements. The E-PL9 features the larger sensor which will make getting shallow depth of field easier. The more recent E-PL9 is going to have an advantage with regard to sensor technology.

Olympus E-PL9 vs Olympus SZ-15 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL9 vs Olympus SZ-15 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL9 vs Olympus SZ-15 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-PL9
Portrait photography with Olympus SZ-15
73
focusing manually
MP count decent (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
offers face detection autofocus
exports RAW formats
44
you can focus manually
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
includes face detection autofocus
cannot use external flash
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL9 as a Street photography camera
Olympus SZ-15 as a Street photography camera
84
has a tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
features touch focus
60
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition in class (250g)
no moving screen
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL9 Sports photography factors
Olympus SZ-15 Sports photography factors
69
silent shutter (1/16,000s)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
offers tracking autofocus
does not have phase detect autofocus
53
excellent zoom range (23-483mm 21.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Optical)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
includes tracking autofocus
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL9 Travel photography features
Olympus SZ-15 Travel photography features
77
has bluetooth
features touch focus
MP count decent (16MP)
has built in flash
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
68
lighter than competition in class (250g)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
reasonably wide (23mm)
great zoom (483mm)
doesn't have Time Lapse function
does not have a selfie friendly screen
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL9 Landscape photography information
Olympus SZ-15 Landscape photography information
80
focusing manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is decent (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count decent (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
49
you can focus manually
reasonably wide (23mm)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Optical)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
doesn't have Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL9 Vlogging advice
Olympus SZ-15 Vlogging advice
35
touchscreen capability
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
offers face detection autofocus
high video quality (3840 x 2160 resolution)
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
doesn't have external mic support
34
reasonably wide (23mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
includes face detection autofocus
good video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than competition in class (250 grams)
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
does not have a selfie friendly screen
doesn't have external mic support
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Olympus E-PL9 vs Olympus SZ-15 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL9 and Olympus SZ-15
 Olympus PEN E-PL9Olympus SZ-15
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Olympus
Model Olympus PEN E-PL9 Olympus SZ-15
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Superzoom
Revealed 2018-02-08 2013-06-21
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic VIII -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 16MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 4608 x 3456 4608 x 3456
Max native ISO 6400 3200
Max enhanced ISO 25600 -
Minimum native ISO 200 100
RAW support
Minimum enhanced ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Number of focus points 121 -
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 23-483mm (21.0x)
Maximum aperture - f/2.8-5.9
Macro focus range - 5cm
Amount of lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.8
Screen
Screen type Tilting Fixed Type
Screen size 3" 3"
Screen resolution 1,040k dots 460k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Screen technology - LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) None
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60s 8s
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/2000s
Fastest silent shutter speed 1/16000s -
Continuous shutter rate 8.6 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 7.60 m (at ISO 200) 3.50 m
Flash modes Auto, manual, redeye reduction, slow sync w/redeye reduction, slow sync , slow sync 2nd-curtain, fill-in, off Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 102 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM 1920 x 1080 (30fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 480fps (176 x 128), 240fps (384 x 288)
Max video resolution 3840x2160 1920x1080
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264 AVI MPEG4, Motion JPEG
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 380 grams (0.84 lb) 250 grams (0.55 lb)
Physical dimensions 117 x 68 x 39mm (4.6" x 2.7" x 1.5") 108 x 70 x 40mm (4.3" x 2.8" x 1.6")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 350 pictures -
Battery style Battery Pack -
Battery model - SLB-10A
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec, Double)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC card (UHS-I supported) SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots One One
Price at release $599 $200