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Olympus E-PL9 vs Olympus VG-160

Portability
85
Imaging
56
Features
78
Overall
64
Olympus PEN E-PL9 front
 
Olympus VG-160 front
Portability
96
Imaging
38
Features
26
Overall
33

Olympus E-PL9 vs Olympus VG-160 Key Specs

Olympus E-PL9
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 200 - 6400 (Push to 25600)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 380g - 117 x 68 x 39mm
  • Introduced February 2018
  • Previous Model is Olympus E-PL8
Olympus VG-160
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 1600
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 26-130mm (F2.8-6.5) lens
  • 125g - 96 x 57 x 19mm
  • Announced January 2012
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Olympus E-PL9 vs Olympus VG-160 Overview

Here is a complete overview of the Olympus E-PL9 vs Olympus VG-160, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Compact and both of them are manufactured by Olympus. The sensor resolution of the E-PL9 (16MP) and the VG-160 (14MP) is fairly similar but the E-PL9 (Four Thirds) and VG-160 (1/2.3") possess different sensor sizing.

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The E-PL9 was announced 6 years later than the VG-160 and that is quite a significant difference as far as tech is concerned. Both of the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-PL9 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus VG-160 being a Compact camera.

Before diving in to a detailed comparison, below is a simple highlight of how the E-PL9 scores vs the VG-160 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL9 over the Olympus VG-160

 E-PL9 VG-160 
AnnouncedFebruary 2018January 2012Fresher by 75 months
Manually focus Very accurate focus
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display resolution1040k230kSharper display (+810k dot)
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Olympus VG-160 over the Olympus E-PL9

 VG-160 E-PL9 

Common features in the Olympus E-PL9 and Olympus VG-160

 E-PL9 VG-160 
Display sizing3"3"Equivalent display measurement
Selfie screen Neither contains selfie screen

Olympus E-PL9 vs Olympus VG-160 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is going to carry your camera, you have to consider its weight and volume. The Olympus E-PL9 has got exterior dimensions of 117mm x 68mm x 39mm (4.6" x 2.7" x 1.5") accompanied by a weight of 380 grams (0.84 lbs) whilst the Olympus VG-160 has sizing of 96mm x 57mm x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") along with a weight of 125 grams (0.28 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-PL9 vs Olympus VG-160 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you select at that moment. Below is the front view size comparison of the E-PL9 versus the VG-160.

Olympus E-PL9 vs Olympus VG-160 size comparison

Considering size and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL9 and VG-160 is 85 and 96 respectively.

Olympus E-PL9 vs Olympus VG-160 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL9 vs Olympus VG-160 Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, it can be difficult to visualize the gap between sensor sizing simply by going over a spec sheet. The graphic here might offer you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PL9 and VG-160.

As you can see, both cameras offer different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-PL9 having a larger sensor is going to make achieving shallow depth of field easier and the Olympus E-PL9 will deliver extra detail with its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will help you crop photos a little more aggressively. The newer E-PL9 should have an edge in sensor tech.

Olympus E-PL9 vs Olympus VG-160 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL9 vs Olympus VG-160 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL9 vs Olympus VG-160 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL9 Portrait photography highlights
Olympus VG-160 Portrait photography highlights
73
you can focus manually
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
features face detection focus
delivers RAW formats
34
megapixel count good (14MP)
offers face detection focusing
no manual focus
lack of manual mode
cannot use external flash
very small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-PL9
Street photography with Olympus VG-160
84
screen tilts up and down
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
offers touch to focus
56
lighter than average (125g)
no moving screen
does not have image stabilization
very small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL9 as a Sports photography camera
Olympus VG-160 as a Sports photography camera
69
silent shooting (1/16,000 seconds)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
features tracking autofocus
lack of phase detect auto focus
27
megapixel count good (14MP)
no shutter priority
does not have image stabilization
very small sensor (1/2.3")
low battery power (165 shots)
has no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL9 Travel photography features
Olympus VG-160 Travel photography features
77
connects via bluetooth
offers touch to focus
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
screen is not selfie friendly
66
lighter than average (125g)
megapixel count good (14 megapixels)
has built in flash
fairly wide (26mm)
missing Time Lapse mode
low battery power (165 shots)
display isn't selfie friendly
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL9 Landscape photography advice
Olympus VG-160 Landscape photography advice
80
you can focus manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
decent sized screen (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
37
fairly wide (26mm)
screen size is good (3 inch)
megapixel count good (14 megapixels)
no manual focus
cannot swap lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
lack of manual mode
does not have image stabilization
very small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
low battery power (165 shots)
missing Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-PL9
Vlogging with Olympus VG-160
35
touchscreen enabled
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
features face detection focus
high res video (3840 x 2160 resolution)
screen is not selfie friendly
does not have external mic socket
30
fairly wide (26mm)
offers face detection focusing
lighter than average (125g)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
display isn't selfie friendly
does not have image stabilization
video resolution low (1280 x 720 resolution)
missing external mic support
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Olympus E-PL9 vs Olympus VG-160 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL9 and Olympus VG-160
 Olympus PEN E-PL9Olympus VG-160
General Information
Make Olympus Olympus
Model Olympus PEN E-PL9 Olympus VG-160
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Introduced 2018-02-08 2012-01-10
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by 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 area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 14MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3
Maximum resolution 4608 x 3456 4288 x 3216
Maximum native ISO 6400 1600
Maximum boosted ISO 25600 -
Lowest native ISO 200 80
RAW support
Lowest boosted ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Manual focus
AF touch
AF continuous
AF single
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Number of focus points 121 -
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 26-130mm (5.0x)
Highest aperture - f/2.8-6.5
Macro focus range - 7cm
Number of lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.8
Screen
Type of display Tilting Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3" 3"
Resolution of display 1,040k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Display technology - TFT Color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60s 4s
Highest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/2000s
Highest quiet shutter speed 1/16000s -
Continuous shooting rate 8.6 frames per second -
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 7.60 m (at ISO 200) 4.80 m
Flash settings 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
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 102 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM 1280 x 720 (30,15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 180 (30,15 fps)
Maximum video resolution 3840x2160 1280x720
Video file format MPEG-4, H.264 Motion JPEG
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 380 gr (0.84 lb) 125 gr (0.28 lb)
Dimensions 117 x 68 x 39mm (4.6" x 2.7" x 1.5") 96 x 57 x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7")
DXO scores
DXO All around 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 165 pictures
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model - LI-70B
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC card (UHS-I supported) SD/SDHC
Card slots One One
Retail cost $599 $90