Olympus E-PL9 vs Panasonic S1R

Following is a complete comparison of the Olympus E-PL9 vs Panasonic S1R, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Pro Mirrorless by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a noticeable gap among the image resolutions of the E-PL9 (16MP) and S1R (47MP) and the E-PL9 (Four Thirds) and S1R (Full frame) enjoy different sensor sizes.

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The E-PL9 was introduced 11 months earlier than the S1R so they are of a similar age. The two cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL9 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic S1R being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving straight into a full comparison, below is a concise highlight of how the E-PL9 scores versus the S1R in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN E-PL9 & Panasonic Lumix DC-S1R. The whole galleries are provided at Olympus E-PL9 Gallery & Panasonic S1R Gallery.

For those who are looking to carry around your camera frequently, you should factor its weight and volume. The Olympus E-PL9 has exterior dimensions of 117mm x 68mm x 39mm (4.6" x 2.7" x 1.5") having a weight of 380 grams (0.84 lbs) and the Panasonic S1R has sizing of 149mm x 110mm x 97mm (5.9" x 4.3" x 3.8") along with a weight of 1020 grams (2.25 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-PL9 vs Panasonic S1R in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you have chosen at the time. Below is the front view overall size comparison of the E-PL9 against the S1R.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-PL9 and S1R is 85 and 54 respectively.

More often than not, it is very difficult to visualize the contrast in sensor sizes just by viewing a spec sheet. The image below should provide you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL9 and S1R.

Clearly, the two cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The E-PL9 with its smaller sensor is going to make getting shallower DOF more difficult and the Panasonic S1R will provide you with more detail using its extra 31 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also enable you to crop pics much more aggressively. The more aged E-PL9 will be behind in sensor tech.