Olympus PEN E-PL1s vs Nikon Coolpix S5200

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Olympus PEN E-PL1s and the Nikon Coolpix S5200, highlighting the advantages of each over the other, discussing their pros and cons, shared strengths and weaknesses, and providing a rating based on their available features and specifications to assist you in choosing the one that best suits your needs.

Olympus PEN E-PL1s was introduced in November 2010 and Nikon Coolpix S5200 was introduced in January 2013. Let us first list highlights of the models.

Now that we've looked at the most essential specifications and gained a basic understanding of these cameras, we can delve into more details and see the differences between them.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Olympus PEN E-PL1s over Nikon Coolpix S5200.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Nikon Coolpix S5200 over Olympus PEN E-PL1s.

We already listed pros and cons of each model. However, you may also find useful to look at their common strengths and weaknesses shown side-by-side.

Screen

Olympus PEN E-PL1s has a 2.7" screen with 230k dot resolution and Nikon Coolpix S5200 has a 3.0" screen with 460k dot resolution. Both have Fixed screens.

Camera does not have a built-in viewfinder but an optional electronic viewfinder can be attached on Olympus PEN E-PL1s.

Olympus PEN E-PL1s features a 12 megapixel Micro Four Thirds CMOS sensor with dimensions of 17.3 x 13 mm and a total area of 224.9 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 6,400. Nikon Coolpix S5200 features a 16 megapixel 1/2.3-inch BSI-CMOS sensor with dimensions of 6.16 x 4.62 mm and a total area of 21.3 mm². Its native ISO range is 125 - 3,200.

Nikon Coolpix S5200 has BSI-CMOS sensor, short for Backside Illuminated Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor sensor. In traditional CMOS sensors, the wiring and circuitry are located on the front side of the sensor, which can block some of the incoming light. BSI technology flips this design by placing the photosensitive elements (pixels) on the backside of the sensor, allowing more light to reach the pixels. This significantly enhances light sensitivity and improves low-light performance. BSI-CMOS sensors are particularly effective in low-light conditions, as they can capture more light, resulting in brighter and less noisy images. This makes them well-suited for indoor and night photography. BSI-CMOS sensors deliver a higher SNR and reduced cross-talk.

Olympus PEN E-PL1s is equipped with Truepic V processor and can take pictures up to 4032 x 3024 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 3200 x 2400, 2560 x 1920, 1600 x 1200, 1280 x 960, 1024 x 768, 640 x 480 with 4:3, 3:2, 16:9 aspect ratios. Nikon Coolpix S5200 can take pictures up to 4608 x 3456 resolution.

Image Stabilization

The cameras have a built-in image stabilization. On Olympus PEN E-PL1s it means that you are still getting vibration reduction when it is paired with non-image stabilizied lenses. It also works with lenses with optical image stabilization and in combination can achieve even better compensation.

Built-in Wi-Fi on Nikon Coolpix S5200

Nikon Coolpix S5200 has a built-in Wi-Fi which allows to easily transfer photos and videos from the camera to other Wi-Fi-enabled devices, such as smartphones, tablets, printers, or computers. This eliminates the need for cables and allows for quick and convenient media sharing and social media integration. It gives you the ability to control your camera remotely using a smartphone or tablet. This is particularly useful for taking self-portraits, group shots, or capturing images in challenging conditions without having to touch the camera. Firmware updates can also be downloaded and installed wirelessly.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in WiFi.

USB Inputs and HDMI Outputs

Both models have USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) inputs for data transfer. connector for video signal output.

Battery

Olympus PEN E-PL1s comes with BLS-1 battery pack with battery life of 290 shots and Nikon Coolpix S5200 comes with EN-EL19 battery pack with battery life of 160 shots.

External Storage Slots

Olympus PEN E-PL1s has a single SD/SDHC card slot. Nikon Coolpix S5200 has a single SD/SDHC/SDXC card slot.

Shutter

Shutter speed can go up to 1/2000 sec on Olympus PEN E-PL1s, and up to 1/2000 sec on Nikon Coolpix S5200. Olympus PEN E-PL1s can shoot continuously up to 3.0 fps.

Flash

Cameras have built-in flash with maximum range of 10.00 m on Olympus PEN E-PL1s. Olympus PEN E-PL1s also accepts external flash. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/160 sec on Olympus PEN E-PL1s.

Olympus PEN E-PL1s body has dimensions of 115 x 72 x 42 mm (4.53 x 2.83 x 1.65") and Nikon Coolpix S5200 body has dimensions of 98 x 58 x 22 mm (3.86 x 2.28 x 0.87"). Olympus PEN E-PL1s weighs 334 g (0.74 lb / 11.78 oz) and Nikon Coolpix S5200 weighs 146 g (0.32 lb / 5.15 oz).

Olympus PEN E-PL1s

Nikon Coolpix S5200

115 mm

72 mm

98 mm

58 mm

72 mm

58 mm