Below you can see the front view size comparison of Nikon L32 and Olympus E-PL2. Nikon L32 is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 19mm narrower, 12mm shorter and 13mm thinner than Olympus E-PL2. As you can tell, actually this is not a fair size comparison since Nikon L32 has a built-in lens but Olympus E-PL2 doesn't. Once you put a lens on E-PL2, its thickness will increase significantly.
Now lets look at the top view comparison of Nikon L32 and Olympus E-PL2.
Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day.
Nikon L32 is significantly lighter (198g ) than the Olympus E-PL2 which may become a big advantage especially on long walking trips.
Again, this comparison may not be very useful in real life as we are comparing the weight of a camera with a built-in lens to the body-only weight of an interchangeable lens camera. Once you put a lens on E-PL2, the total kit will weigh much higher.
Nikon L32 has a 20.0MP 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm ) sized CMOS sensor . On the other hand, Olympus E-PL2 has a 12.0MP Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Truepic V processor. Nikon L32's sensor provides 8MP more than Olympus E-PL2's sensor, which gives a significant advantage in real life. You can print your images larger or crop more freely.
On the other hand, please keep in mind that Max sensor resolution is not the only determinant of resolving power. Factors such as the optical elements, low pass filter, pixel size and sensor technology also affects the final resolution of the captured image.
Below you can see the L32 and E-PL2 sensor size comparison.
As seen above, Olympus E-PL2 has a 8.0x Larger sensor area than Nikon L32. 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.
In this section, we rank and compare Nikon L32 and Olympus E-PL2 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.
Nikon L32 for Portrait Photography
Olympus E-PL2 for Portrait Photography
Very High Resolution Sensor: 20.0MP
Image Stabilization
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No External Flash Shoe
No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Focus Mode
No Manual Exposure Mode
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
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
Nikon L32 for Street Photography
Olympus E-PL2 for Street Photography
Image Stabilization
Small Body
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Fully Articulated LCD Screen
26 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Focus Mode
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
Nikon L32 for Sports Photography
Olympus E-PL2 for Sports Photography
Image Stabilization
Average Max shutter speed: 1/2000s
130 mm Tele Lens
No RAW shooting capability
No External Flash Shoe
No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Focus Mode
No Manual Exposure Mode
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Environmental Sealings
Focus Points
Slow Lens at Tele: f6.50
Read the details
Image Stabilization
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
11 Focus Points
Optional External Viewfinder
Average Ergonomics&Handling
Slow Continuous Shooting: 3.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Poor Battery Life: 280 shots
Read the details
Nikon L32 for Daily Photography
Olympus E-PL2 for Daily Photography
Compact Body
164g
5X Optical Zoom
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
Read the details
Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Medium size Body
362g
Body Thickness 42mm
Read the details
Nikon L32 for Landscape Photography
Olympus E-PL2 for Landscape Photography
Very High Resolution Sensor: 20.0MP
26 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No Manual Focus Mode
No Manual Exposure Mode
No Environmental Sealings
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
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 Nikon L32 and Olympus E-PL2, 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 Nikon L32 and Olympus E-PL2 scores compare:
Nikon L32
Ranked
#54 out of 155 in Ultracompact cameras
Ranked
#892 out of 1168 in all Cameras
Olympus E-PL2
Ranked
#71 out of 119 in Rangefinder-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked
#300 out of 1168 in all Cameras
Olympus E-PL2 is the overall winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Nikon L32 in all criterias except one: Portability.
If small size and light body is a big priority for you, choose Nikon L32. Otherwise, Olympus E-PL2 is the better camera overall.
| General |
Nikon Coolpix L32 |
Olympus PEN E-PL2 |
| Brand |
Nikon |
Olympus |
| Announced |
2015-01-14 |
2011-02-11 |
| Body Type |
Ultracompact |
Rangefinder-style mirrorless |
| Price |
$249.00 |
$0.00 |
Sensor |
|
|
| Type |
CMOS |
CMOS |
| Size |
1/2.3" |
Four Thirds |
| Dimensions |
6.17 x 4.55 mm |
17.3 x 13 mm |
| Area |
28.07mm2 |
224.90mm2 |
| Megapixels |
20 megapixels |
12 megapixels |
| Max Resolution |
5152 x 3864 |
4032 x 3024 |
| Max Native Light sensitivity |
1,600 ISO |
6,400 ISO |
| Min Native Light sensitivity |
80 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 |
n/a |
11 |
Lens |
|
|
| Manual Focus |
|
|
| Lens Mount |
fixed lens |
Micro Four Thirds |
| Number of Available Lenses |
n/a |
98 |
| Lens Focal Range |
26-130 mm (5×) |
no lens |
| Max Aperture |
F3.2-6.5 |
no lens |
| Macro Focus Range |
10cm |
no lens |
Screen |
|
|
| Type |
Fully Articulated |
Fixed type |
| Size |
3″ |
3″ |
| Resolution |
230k dots |
460k dots |
| Touch Screen |
|
|
Viewfinder |
|
|
| Viewfinder |
None |
Electronic (optional) |
Photography Features |
|
|
| Max Shutter Speed |
1/2000s |
1/4000s |
| Shutter Priority |
|
|
| Aperture Priority |
|
|
| Manual Exposure Mode |
|
|
| Custom White Balance |
|
|
| Image Stabilization |
Digital only |
Sensor-shift |
| Built-in Flash |
|
|
| Flash Range |
4.30 m |
10.00 m |
| Max Flash Sync |
n/a |
1/160s |
| External Flash |
|
|
| Continuous Shooting |
n/a |
3.0 fps |
| Multi-Segment |
|
|
| Average |
|
|
| Spot |
|
|
| Partial |
|
|
| AF-Area |
|
|
| Center Weighted |
|
|
| AE Bracketing |
|
|
| WB Bracketing |
|
|
Video Features |
|
|
| Max Video Resolution |
1280 x 720 |
1280 x 720 |
| Video Formats |
Motion JPEG |
Motion JPEG |
| Microphone Port |
|
|
| Headphone Port |
|
|
Connectivity |
|
|
| Wireless Connectivity |
None |
None |
| HDMI |
|
|
Physical |
|
|
| Environmental Sealing |
|
|
| Weight |
164g |
362g |
| Dimensions |
95 x 60 x 29mm |
114 x 72 x 42mm |
| Battery Life |
320 shots |
280 shots |
Other Features |
|
|
| Timelapse Recording |
|
|
| GPS |
None |
None |
DxO Sensor Scores |
|
|
| DxO Overall Score |
not tested |
55 |
| DxO Color Depth |
not tested |
21.4 |
| DxO Dynamic Range |
not tested |
10.2 |
| DxO Low Light ISO |
not tested |
573 |
|
Report a correction |
Report a correction |