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Canon 400D vs Olympus E-PL1 Comparison

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Canon 400D

10 MP | APS-C (22.2 x 14.8 mm) CMOS Sensor

Canon 400D
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Olympus E-PL1

12 MP | Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) CMOS Sensor

Olympus E-PL1
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Canon 400D vs Olympus E-PL1 Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two cameras with different body types: Canon 400D, which was introduced in October 2006 is a Entry-Level DSLR camera with a 10.0MP APS-C sensor whereas Olympus E-PL1, which was introduced in May 2010 is a Entry-Level Mirrorless camera with a 12.0MP Four Thirds sensor. As you can see, 400D is 4 years older than E-PL1. Let's see if this age difference between two cameras makes a big difference.

Despite some fundamental differences of these two body types, Mirrorless cameras are becoming serious alternatives to DSLR cameras thanks to their size/weight advantages and recent improvements in their focus speeds , which makes this comparison even more interesting.

Here is a brief look at the main features of Canon 400D and Olympus E-PL1 before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Canon 400D Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2006-10-14
  • 10MP - APS-C CMOS Sensor
  • ISO 100 - 1600
  • Canon EF/EF-S Mount
  • 2.5" Fixed Type Screen
  • Optical (pentamirror) viewfinder
  • 3 fps continuous shooting
  • No Video Mode
  • 556g. 127 x 94 x 65 mm
  • Also known as EOS Digital Rebel XTi / EOS Kiss Digital X
  • Replaced Canon EOS 350D Compare

Olympus E-PL1 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2010-05-17
  • 12MP - Four Thirds CMOS Sensor
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 2.7" Fixed Type Screen
  • 3 fps continuous shooting
  • HD - 1280 x 720 video resolution
  • 334g. 115 x 72 x 42 mm

Canon 400D was replaced by Canon EOS 450D. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Canon EOS 450D vs Canon EOS 400D (EOS Digital Rebel XTi / EOS Kiss Digital X)
Canon EOS 450D vs Olympus PEN E-PL1

Olympus E-PL1 was replaced by Olympus PEN E-PL1s. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Olympus PEN E-PL1s vs Olympus PEN E-PL1
Olympus PEN E-PL1s vs Canon EOS 400D (EOS Digital Rebel XTi / EOS Kiss Digital X)

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Canon 400D and Olympus E-PL1 compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Canon EOS 400D over Olympus PEN E-PL1
Viewfinder
Optical vs Electronic (Optional) Better framing and control
Max Mech. Shutter
1/4000s vs 1/2000s faster mechanical shutter
Flash Coverage
12.0m vs 10.0m 2m longer range
Color Depth
22.1 vs 21.5 higher color depth
Dynamic Range
11.0 vs 10.1 higher dynamic range
Low Light ISO
664 vs 487 better High ISO performance
Sensor Pixel Area
32.60µm2 vs 18.45µm2 76% larger pixel area


Reasons to choose Olympus PEN E-PL1 over Canon EOS 400D
Image Stabilization
Sensor-shift vs None Sharper images at longer focal lengths and long exposures
Face Detection Focus
Yes vs No very handy for portraits
Max Sensor Resolution
12 MP vs 10 MP 19% more pixels
Max ISO
3.200 vs 1.600 100% higher Max ISO
Number of Focus Points
11 vs 9 2 more focus points
LCD Screen Size
2.7" vs 2.5" 0.2 inches larger display
Weight
334 g vs 556 g 222 g lighter
Max Video Resolution
1280 x 720 vs None Higher Resolution Video
AE Bracketing
Yes vs No Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR

Common Strengths of Canon EOS 400D and Olympus PEN E-PL1
Built-in Flash
Yes vs Yes Useful in low-light
External Flash Shoe
Yes vs Yes Better for flash photography
RAW Support
Yes vs Yes Better image quality
Common Weaknesses of Canon EOS 400D and Olympus PEN E-PL1
Fixed Screen
Fixed Type vs No No flexible viewing angles
LCD Screen Size
2.5" vs 2.7" Small display
LCD Screen Resolution
230k dots vs 230k dots Low resolution screens
Environmental Sealing
No vs No not suitable for tough conditions
Canon 400D vs Olympus E-PL1: Physical Specs and Body features Comparison

Size and weight is a big decision factor when you are trying to find the ideal camera for your needs. In this section, We are going to illustrate Canon 400D and Olympus E-PL1 side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Canon 400D has external dimensions of 127 x 94 x 65 mm (5 x 3.7 x 2.56″) and weighs 556 g (1.23 lb / 19.61 oz) (including batteries). Olympus E-PL1 has external dimensions of 115 x 72 x 42 mm (4.53 x 2.83 x 1.65″) and weighs 334 g (0.74 lb / 11.78 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Canon 400D and Olympus E-PL1. Olympus E-PL1 is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 12mm narrower, 22mm shorter and 23mm thinner than Canon 400D.

Canon 400D vs Olympus E-PL1 Camera Size Comparison - Front View
Comparison image of Canon 400D and Olympus E-PL1 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Olympus E-PL1 is significantly lighter (222g ) than the Canon 400D which may become a big advantage especially on long walking trips.

Also keep in mind that body weight is not the only deciding factor when comparing two interchangeable camera bodies, you have to also take into account the lenses that you will be using with these bodies. Since Canon 400D has an APS-C sized sensor and Olympus E-PL1 has a smaller Four Thirds sensor, Olympus E-PL1's lenses for a similar focal length and aperture will generally be lighter and smaller than the Canon 400D lenses.

Weight Comparison

Mirrorless Cameras

400D
E-PL1
Min
Average
Max
Thickness Comparison

Mirrorless Cameras

400D
E-PL1
Min
Average
Max

Weather Sealing

Unfortunately neither Canon EOS 400D (EOS Digital Rebel XTi / EOS Kiss Digital X) nor Olympus PEN E-PL1 provides any type of weather sealing in their body, so you have to give extra care especially when you are shooting outdoors. If weather sealing is a must-have feature for you, check these sections:
Top DSLR Cameras with Weather Sealing
Top Mirrorless Cameras with Weather Sealing

LCD Screen Size and Features

Olympus E-PL1's 2.7" LCD screen is slightly larger than Canon 400D's 2.5" screen.

Unfortunately, both cameras has fixed screens so they don't tilt or flip in directions.
Canon 400D vs Olympus E-PL1: Sensor Comparison

Canon 400D has a 10.0MP APS-C (22.2 x 14.8 mm ) sized CMOS sensor . On the other hand, Olympus E-PL1 has a 12.0MP Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Truepic V processor.

Below you can see the 400D and E-PL1 sensor size comparison.

Canon 400D vs Olympus E-PL1 Sensor Size Comparison
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Canon 400D and Olympus E-PL1 Cameras


As seen above, Canon 400D has a 1.5x Larger sensor area than Olympus E-PL1. Larger sensors give photographer more control on the depth of field and blurry background compared to smaller sensor when shot in same focal length and aperture.

DxOMark Sensor Scores

Both Canon 400D and Olympus E-PL1 sensors have been tested by DxoMark. DxoMark scores camera sensors for color depth (DXO Portrait), dynamic range (DXO Landscape) and low-light sensitivity (DXO Sports), and also gives them an overall score. Of the two cameras that we are comparing, 400D has scored 62, 8 points higher than E-PL1.

Model Overall Color Depth Dynamic Range Low-light ISO
Canon 400D 62 22.1 bits 11.0 Evs 664 ISO
Olympus E-PL1 54 21.5 bits 10.1 Evs 487 ISO
Canon 400D vs Olympus E-PL1 Comparison of Available Lenses
Which camera has more lenses?

Number of available lenses is a big decision factor while choosing your interchangeable lens camera. When we look at the available lenses for these two cameras, we see that Canon 400D has an advantage over Olympus E-PL1. There are 326 lenses for Canon 400D's Canon EF/EF-S mount, on the other hand there are only 107 lenses for Olympus E-PL1's Micro Four Thirds lens mount.

Another important factor is the availability of image stabilization. Olympus E-PL1 has a big advantage in this regard because it has a sensor based image stabilization which means that all the lenses mounted to this body will be stabilized. On the other hand, Canon 400D doesn't have this feature so you have to buy a lens with optical stabilization feature. Currently there are 112 lenses for Canon EF/EF-S mount with Optical Image Stabilization features.

Lens Type # of Canon 400D Lenses # of Olympus E-PL1 Lenses
Standard Zoom 40 15
Standard Prime 19 13
Wideangle Zoom 37 5
Wideangle Prime 49 29
Telephoto Zoom 58 18
Telephoto Prime 43 9
SuperZoom 28 8
Wideangle Fisheye Prime 7 5
Macro Prime 28 4
Perspective Control Prime 16 n/a
Telephoto Mirror Prime 1 1
TOTAL 326 107


Now let's compare some sample lenses from each mount with typical Focal ranges for Canon 400D and Olympus E-PL1 to see how these lenses compares:

Fast Standard Zoom Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Canon 17-55mm f2.8 IS USM Lens Canon 17-55mm f2.8 IS USM
25.5 - 82.5mm 645gr 1201gr 111mm Amazon B&H Photo
Olympus ED 12-40mm f2.8 PRO Lens Olympus ED 12-40mm f2.8 PRO
24 - 80mm 382gr 716gr 84mm Amazon B&H Photo
Fast Tele Zoom Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Sigma 50-150mm F2.8 EX DC OS HSM Lens Sigma 50-150mm F2.8 EX DC OS HSM
75 - 225mm 1350gr 1906gr 198mm Amazon B&H Photo
Olympus ED 35-100mm f2.0 Lens Olympus ED 35-100mm f2.0
70 - 200mm 1650gr 1984gr 214mm Amazon B&H Photo
Fast Normal Prime Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Sigma 30mm F1.4 DC HSM Lens Sigma 30mm F1.4 DC HSM
45mm 435gr 991gr 63mm Amazon B&H Photo
Olympus M 25mm F1.8 Lens Olympus M 25mm F1.8
50mm 136gr 470gr 41mm Amazon B&H Photo
Fast Wideangle Zoom Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Sigma 10-20mm F3.5 EX DC HSM Lens Sigma 10-20mm F3.5 EX DC HSM
15 - 30mm 520gr 1076gr 88mm Amazon B&H Photo
Olympus ED 7-14mm F2.8 PRO Lens Olympus ED 7-14mm F2.8 PRO
14 - 28mm 534gr 868gr 106mm Amazon B&H Photo
24-105mm f4 Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Canon 15-85mm f3.5-5.6 IS USM Lens Canon 15-85mm f3.5-5.6 IS USM
22.5 - 127.5mm 575gr 1131gr 88mm Amazon B&H Photo
Olympus ED 12-60mm f2.8-4.0 SWD Lens Olympus ED 12-60mm f2.8-4.0 SWD
24 - 120mm 575gr 909gr 99mm Amazon B&H Photo
Super-Tele Zoom Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Canon 100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM Lens Canon 100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM
100 - 400mm 1590gr 2146gr 193mm Amazon B&H Photo
Olympus 150-400mm F4.5 TC 1.25x IS Lens Olympus 150-400mm F4.5 TC 1.25x IS
300mm 1850gr 2184gr mm Amazon B&H Photo
What types of Photography are Canon 400D and Olympus E-PL1 Good for?
In this section, we rank and compare Canon 400D and Olympus E-PL1 for five different photography types in order to make your decision process easier in case you are specifically interested in one or more of these areas.

Canon 400D for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE

Olympus E-PL1 for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE
Large APS-C (22.2 x 14.8 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Very Low Resolution Sensor: 10.0MP
No Image Stabilization
Read the details
Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
Optional External Viewfinder
Average Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details

Canon 400D for Street Photography

AVERAGE

Olympus E-PL1 for Street Photography

EXCELLENT
Large APS-C (22.2 x 14.8 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
No Image Stabilization
No Live-view
Large Body
Read the details
Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Optional External Viewfinder
Medium sized Body
Read the details

Canon 400D for Sports Photography

GOOD

Olympus E-PL1 for Sports Photography

AVERAGE
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
No Image Stabilization
Slow Continuous Shooting: 3.0fps
Environmental Sealings
9 Focus Points
Read the details
Image Stabilization
11 Focus Points
Optional External Viewfinder
Average Ergonomics&Handling
Average Max shutter speed: 1/2000s
Slow Continuous Shooting: 3.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Poor Battery Life: 290 shots
Read the details

Canon 400D for Daily Photography

AVERAGE

Olympus E-PL1 for Daily Photography

GOOD
Large APS-C (22.2 x 14.8 mm) sensor
Large Body
556g
Body Thickness 65mm
Read the details
Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Medium size Body
334g
Body Thickness 42mm
Read the details

Canon 400D for Landscape Photography

POOR

Olympus E-PL1 for Landscape Photography

POOR
Large APS-C (22.2 x 14.8 mm) sensor
Very Low Resolution Sensor: 10.0MP
No Environmental Sealings
No Live-view
Read the details
Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Live-view
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Canon 400D vs Olympus E-PL1: OUR DECISION

You may have already made your decision about which camera suits better for your needs and your budget so far but in case you wonder how we rated Canon 400D and Olympus E-PL1, below you can find their scores in five different aspects. Our Decision Algorithm dynamically scores cameras using 63 different specs, current price and DxO Mark scores (where possible) in order to make a more objective and consistent comparison.

Here is a summary of how Canon 400D and Olympus E-PL1 scores compare:

Canon 400D
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #71 out of 79 in Compact SLR cameras
Ranked #609 out of 1226 in all Cameras
Olympus E-PL1
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #85 out of 128 in Rangefinder-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #377 out of 1226 in all Cameras

Olympus E-PL1 has a higher Overall Score than the Canon 400D. It also has more features, more compact body and offers higher value for the money. But there is one area that E-PL1 trails behind the 400D: Imaging
If image quality is the most important aspect in a camera, choose the Canon 400D. If not, we recommend the Olympus E-PL1.

Canon 400D
Canon 400D
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Olympus E-PL1
Olympus E-PL1
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Olympus E-PL1 vs Canon 400D Specs Table
Detailed comparison of specifications
General Canon EOS 400D Olympus PEN E-PL1
Brand Canon Olympus
Announced 2006-10-14 2010-05-17
Body Type Compact SLR Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor
Type CMOS CMOS
Size APS-C Four Thirds
Dimensions 22.2 x 14.8 mm 17.3 x 13 mm
Area 328.56mm2 224.90mm2
Megapixels 10 megapixels 12 megapixels
Max Resolution 3888 x 2592 4032 x 3024
Max Native Light sensitivity 1,600 ISO 3,200 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity 100 ISO 100 ISO
RAW Support
Autofocus
AF Touch
AF Continuous
AF Single
AF Tracking
AF Selective
AF Center
AF Multi Area
AF Live View
AF Face Detection
AF Contrast Detection
AF Phase Detection
Number of Focus Points 9 11
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount Canon EF/EF-S Micro Four Thirds
Number of Available Lenses 326 107
Screen
Type Fixed type Fixed type
Size 2.5" 2.7"
Resolution 230k dots 230k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) Electronic (optional)
Viewfinder Coverage 95% n/a
Viewfinder Magnification 0.5x n/a
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter 1/4000s 1/2000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization No Sensor-shift
Built-in Flash
Flash Range 12.00 m (ISO 100) 10.00 m
Max Flash Sync 1/200s 1/160s
External Flash
Continuous Shooting 3.0 fps 3.0 fps
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution None 1280 x 720
Video Formats n/a Motion JPEG
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity None None
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight 556g 334g
Dimensions 127 x 94 x 65mm 115 x 72 x 42mm
Battery Life n/a 290 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS None None
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score 62 54
DxO Color Depth 22.1 21.5
DxO Dynamic Range 11.0 10.1
DxO Low Light ISO 664 487
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