Olympus E-PM1 vs Olympus SZ-15

Let's take a more detailed look at the Olympus E-PM1 and Olympus SZ-15, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom and both are offered by Olympus. There exists a crucial gap among the resolutions of the E-PM1 (12MP) and SZ-15 (16MP) and the E-PM1 (Four Thirds) and SZ-15 (1/2.3") use different sensor dimensions.

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The E-PM1 was brought out 19 months earlier than the SZ-15 which makes the cameras a generation apart from one another. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PM1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus SZ-15 being a Compact camera.

Before getting in to a more detailed comparison, below is a short overview of how the E-PM1 grades versus the SZ-15 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus PEN E-PM1 and Olympus SZ-15. The entire galleries are viewable at Olympus E-PM1 Gallery and Olympus SZ-15 Gallery.

For anyone who is looking to lug around your camera regularly, you will want to think about its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-PM1 has got physical measurements of 110mm x 64mm x 34mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.3") having a weight of 265 grams (0.58 lbs) and the Olympus SZ-15 has proportions of 108mm x 70mm x 40mm (4.3" x 2.8" x 1.6") with a weight of 250 grams (0.55 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-PM1 and Olympus SZ-15 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you are working with at that moment. Here is the front view size comparison of the E-PM1 versus the SZ-15.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-PM1 and SZ-15 is 89 and 88 respectively.

More often than not, its difficult to visualize the contrast in sensor measurements just by going through a spec sheet. The photograph below will help provide you a better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PM1 and SZ-15.

As you can see, each of these cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-PM1 featuring a bigger sensor is going to make achieving shallower depth of field easier and the Olympus SZ-15 will provide extra detail having its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will let you crop shots somewhat more aggressively. The older E-PM1 will be behind with regard to sensor innovation.