Olympus E-PL9 vs Olympus XZ-1

Its time to examine more closely at the Olympus E-PL9 and Olympus XZ-1, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Compact and they are both created by Olympus. There is a large difference between the resolutions of the E-PL9 (16MP) and XZ-1 (10MP) and the E-PL9 (Four Thirds) and XZ-1 (1/1.63") enjoy different sensor dimensions.

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The E-PL9 was unveiled 7 years later than the XZ-1 and that is quite a serious difference as far as tech is concerned. Both cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-PL9 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus XZ-1 being a Compact camera.

Before delving straight into a full comparison, below is a simple summation of how the E-PL9 scores vs the XZ-1 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN E-PL9 & Olympus XZ-1. The full galleries are available at Olympus E-PL9 Gallery & Olympus XZ-1 Gallery.

When you are intending to carry your camera often, you are going to need to factor its weight and size. The Olympus E-PL9 enjoys exterior dimensions of 117mm x 68mm x 39mm (4.6" x 2.7" x 1.5") along with a weight of 380 grams (0.84 lbs) while the Olympus XZ-1 has specifications of 111mm x 65mm x 42mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.7") with a weight of 275 grams (0.61 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-PL9 and Olympus XZ-1 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you have attached during that time. Following is the front view overall size comparison of the E-PL9 versus the XZ-1.

Looking at size and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL9 and XZ-1 is 85 and 88 respectively.

In many cases, it is tough to imagine the gap between sensor sizing purely by checking specifications. The graphic here should provide you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL9 and XZ-1.

To sum up, both the cameras enjoy different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The E-PL9 having a larger sensor is going to make achieving shallower depth of field less difficult and the Olympus E-PL9 will give more detail having an extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution will enable you to crop images far more aggressively. The newer E-PL9 should have an edge in sensor innovation.