Olympus E-PL9 vs Panasonic FZ28

Below is a in-depth analysis of the Olympus E-PL9 versus Panasonic FZ28, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a crucial gap between the image resolutions of the E-PL9 (16MP) and FZ28 (10MP) and the E-PL9 (Four Thirds) and FZ28 (1/2.3") come with totally different sensor sizes.

Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

The E-PL9 was introduced 9 years later than the FZ28 and that is quite a serious gap as far as technology is concerned. The two cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL9 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic FZ28 being a Compact camera.

Before delving through a full comparison, below is a short view of how the E-PL9 scores versus the FZ28 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN E-PL9 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ28. The whole galleries are viewable at Olympus E-PL9 Gallery and Panasonic FZ28 Gallery.

If you are planning to lug around your camera regularly, you're going to have to take into account its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-PL9 comes with external measurements of 117mm x 68mm x 39mm (4.6" x 2.7" x 1.5") with a weight of 380 grams (0.84 lbs) and the Panasonic FZ28 has proportions of 118mm x 75mm x 89mm (4.6" x 3.0" x 3.5") accompanied by a weight of 417 grams (0.92 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-PL9 versus Panasonic FZ28 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you are utilising at that time. The following is the front view size comparison of the E-PL9 and the FZ28.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-PL9 and FZ28 is 85 and 72 respectively.

Sometimes, its difficult to visualise the contrast between sensor measurements simply by going over specifications. The graphic below may give you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the E-PL9 and FZ28.

To sum up, both of these cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-PL9 using its larger sensor will make getting shallow DOF easier and the Olympus E-PL9 will offer greater detail using its extra 6MP. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop pics somewhat more aggressively. The younger E-PL9 is going to have an advantage with regard to sensor technology.