Olympus E-PL9 vs Panasonic ZS15

Let's examine more in depth at the Olympus E-PL9 and Panasonic ZS15, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by companies Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a substantial gap among the sensor resolutions of the E-PL9 (16MP) and ZS15 (12MP) and the E-PL9 (Four Thirds) and ZS15 (1/2.3") use totally different sensor sizing.

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The E-PL9 was revealed 5 years later than the ZS15 and that is a fairly big difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL9 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic ZS15 being a Compact camera.

Before diving in to a detailed comparison, below is a short summary of how the E-PL9 scores versus the ZS15 for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus PEN E-PL9 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS15. The full galleries are provided at Olympus E-PL9 Gallery & Panasonic ZS15 Gallery.

If you're going to lug around your camera frequently, you will have to think about its weight and volume. The Olympus E-PL9 enjoys exterior 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 ZS15 has sizing of 105mm x 58mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3") with a weight of 208 grams (0.46 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-PL9 and Panasonic ZS15 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you are utilising at the time. Following is the front view dimension comparison of the E-PL9 vs the ZS15.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL9 and ZS15 is 85 and 92 respectively.

Sometimes, it's difficult to see the gap in sensor measurements merely by looking through specs. The visual underneath should provide you a greater sense of the sensor measurements in the E-PL9 and ZS15.

All in all, the two cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-PL9 having a bigger sensor will make shooting shallower DOF less difficult and the Olympus E-PL9 will render extra detail because of its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop pictures much more aggressively. The newer E-PL9 will have an edge when it comes to sensor technology.