Olympus E-PL9 vs Olympus SZ-31MR iHS

Below is a extensive assessment of the Olympus E-PL9 and Olympus SZ-31MR iHS, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom and both are created by Olympus. The image resolution of the E-PL9 (16MP) and the SZ-31MR iHS (16MP) is pretty close but the E-PL9 (Four Thirds) and SZ-31MR iHS (1/2.3") boast different sensor sizes.

Photography Glossary

The E-PL9 was manufactured 6 years later than the SZ-31MR iHS and that is a fairly significant difference as far as camera technology is concerned. The two cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-PL9 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS being a Compact camera.

Before getting into a comprehensive comparison, here is a short synopsis of how the E-PL9 grades versus the SZ-31MR iHS in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus PEN E-PL9 & Olympus SZ-31MR iHS. The entire galleries are viewable at Olympus E-PL9 Gallery & Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Gallery.

For those who are intending to lug around your camera, you will want to think about its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-PL9 features exterior measurements 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-31MR iHS has measurements of 106mm x 69mm x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") along with a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-PL9 and Olympus SZ-31MR iHS in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you have at the time. The following is a front view scale comparison of the E-PL9 vs the SZ-31MR iHS.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-PL9 and SZ-31MR iHS is 85 and 89 respectively.

More often than not, it is difficult to imagine the difference in sensor measurements only by viewing a spec sheet. The visual below will help give you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-PL9 and SZ-31MR iHS.

As you can see, each of the cameras come with the identical megapixels albeit different sensor measurements. The E-PL9 uses the bigger sensor which will make obtaining shallow DOF less difficult. The more modern E-PL9 should have a benefit in sensor technology.