Olympus E-PL9 vs Olympus SZ-15

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.

Photography Glossary

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.

The following is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus PEN E-PL9 & Olympus SZ-15. The complete galleries are available at Olympus E-PL9 Gallery & Olympus SZ-15 Gallery.

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.

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.

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

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.