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Olympus E-PL9 vs Olympus VH-515

Portability
85
Imaging
56
Features
78
Overall
64
Olympus PEN E-PL9 front
 
Olympus VH-515 front
Portability
95
Imaging
36
Features
34
Overall
35

Olympus E-PL9 vs Olympus VH-515 Key Specs

Olympus E-PL9
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 200 - 6400 (Increase to 25600)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 380g - 117 x 68 x 39mm
  • Launched February 2018
  • Succeeded the Olympus E-PL8
Olympus VH-515
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 1600
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 26-130mm (F2.8-6.5) lens
  • 152g - 102 x 60 x 21mm
  • Released August 2012
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Olympus E-PL9 vs Olympus VH-515 Overview

Following is a comprehensive review of the Olympus E-PL9 versus Olympus VH-515, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact and they are both offered by Olympus. There is a sizable difference between the image resolutions of the E-PL9 (16MP) and VH-515 (12MP) and the E-PL9 (Four Thirds) and VH-515 (1/2.3") have different sensor sizes.

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The E-PL9 was unveiled 5 years after the VH-515 which is quite a significant difference as far as tech is concerned. Both of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-PL9 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus VH-515 being a Compact camera.

Before getting right into a comprehensive comparison, here is a quick highlight of how the E-PL9 scores against the VH-515 for portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL9 over the Olympus VH-515

 E-PL9 VH-515 
ReleasedFebruary 2018August 2012More modern by 67 months
Manual focus More accurate focus
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution1040k460kCrisper screen (+580k dot)

Reasons to pick Olympus VH-515 over the Olympus E-PL9

 VH-515 E-PL9 

Common features in the Olympus E-PL9 and Olympus VH-515

 E-PL9 VH-515 
Screen size3"3"Same screen dimensions
Selfie screen Neither features selfie screen
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Olympus E-PL9 vs Olympus VH-515 Physical Comparison

For those who are going to carry around your camera regularly, you should factor its weight and size. The Olympus E-PL9 enjoys exterior measurements of 117mm x 68mm x 39mm (4.6" x 2.7" x 1.5") along with a weight of 380 grams (0.84 lbs) and the Olympus VH-515 has specifications of 102mm x 60mm x 21mm (4.0" x 2.4" x 0.8") along with a weight of 152 grams (0.34 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-PL9 versus Olympus VH-515 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you are using at that moment. Below is a front view measurements comparison of the E-PL9 compared to the VH-515.

Olympus E-PL9 vs Olympus VH-515 size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL9 and VH-515 is 85 and 95 respectively.

Olympus E-PL9 vs Olympus VH-515 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL9 vs Olympus VH-515 Sensor Comparison

Generally, it is hard to visualize the contrast between sensor sizes purely by checking technical specs. The image underneath will provide you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PL9 and VH-515.

As you can tell, each of these cameras feature different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The E-PL9 using its bigger sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF easier and the Olympus E-PL9 will resolve greater detail having an extra 4MP. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop pictures way more aggressively. The more recent E-PL9 provides an edge with regard to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-PL9 vs Olympus VH-515 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL9 vs Olympus VH-515 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL9 vs Olympus VH-515 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL9 Portrait photography factors
Olympus VH-515 Portrait photography factors
73
you can focus manually
MP count decent (16MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
provides face detection focusing
supports RAW formats
27
supports face detection autofocus
focusing manually not possible
manual mode not available
external flash not possible
low resolution (12MP)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
Photography Glossary

Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-PL9
Street photography with Olympus VH-515
84
screen tilts
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
offers focus via touch
62
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
comes with touch to focus
screen does not articulate
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL9 Sports photography information
Olympus VH-515 Sports photography information
69
silent shooting (1/16,000s)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count decent (16MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
provides tracking autofocus
lacks phase detect AF
32
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
supports tracking autofocus
max fps very slow (2.0 fps)
no shutter priority mode
low resolution (12 megapixels)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL9 as a Travel photography camera
Olympus VH-515 as a Travel photography camera
77
supports bluetooth
offers focus via touch
MP count decent (16MP)
built-in flash
screen is not selfie friendly
62
comes with touch to focus
flash built-in
fairly wide (26mm)
does not have Timelapse recording
low resolution (12MP)
does not have selfie friendly display
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL9 Landscape photography information
Olympus VH-515 Landscape photography information
80
you can focus manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice screen size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count decent (16MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
37
fairly wide (26mm)
screen size is good (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
focusing manually not possible
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
manual mode not available
low resolution (12 megapixels)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
does not have Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL9 as a Vlogging camera
Olympus VH-515 as a Vlogging camera
35
touchscreen capability
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
provides face detection focusing
good video quality (3840 x 2160 pxls)
screen is not selfie friendly
lack of external mic support
35
fairly wide (26mm)
has touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
supports face detection autofocus
high video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
does not have selfie friendly display
does not have external microphone jack
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Olympus E-PL9 vs Olympus VH-515 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL9 and Olympus VH-515
 Olympus PEN E-PL9Olympus VH-515
General Information
Company Olympus Olympus
Model type Olympus PEN E-PL9 Olympus VH-515
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Launched 2018-02-08 2012-08-21
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic VIII TruePic III+
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 12 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 4608 x 3456 4608 x 3456
Maximum native ISO 6400 1600
Maximum enhanced ISO 25600 -
Lowest native ISO 200 100
RAW format
Lowest enhanced ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 121 -
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 26-130mm (5.0x)
Maximal aperture - f/2.8-6.5
Macro focusing range - 5cm
Number of lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.8
Screen
Range of display Tilting Fixed Type
Display size 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 1,040 thousand dot 460 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Display tech - TFT Color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) None
Features
Min shutter speed 60s 4s
Max shutter speed 1/4000s 1/2000s
Max quiet shutter speed 1/16000s -
Continuous shutter speed 8.6 frames per second 2.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 7.60 m (at ISO 200) 4.70 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
External flash
AE bracketing
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 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30,15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 180 (30,15 fps)
Maximum video resolution 3840x2160 1920x1080
Video file format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 380 gr (0.84 lb) 152 gr (0.34 lb)
Physical dimensions 117 x 68 x 39mm (4.6" x 2.7" x 1.5") 102 x 60 x 21mm (4.0" x 2.4" x 0.8")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 350 photos -
Battery format Battery Pack -
Battery ID - LI-50B
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC card (UHS-I supported) SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots One One
Retail price $599 $648