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Olympus E-M10 vs Olympus E-PL6

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Olympus E-M10

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

Olympus E-M10
$419.99

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Olympus E-PL6

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

Olympus E-PL6
$299.99

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Olympus E-M10 vs Olympus E-PL6 Comparison Overview

In this review, we will be comparing E-M10 and E-PL6, two Entry-Level Mirrorless cameras by Olympus. Olympus E-M10 was introduced to market in March 2014 and Olympus E-PL6 was launched in August 2014. There is only 5 months difference between E-M10 and E-PL6 so we are expecting this to be a fair comparison regarding age and technology level.

Both Olympus E-M10 and Olympus E-PL6 cameras have 16.0MP Four Thirds sensors.

Let's have a brief look at the main features of Olympus E-M10 and Olympus E-PL6 before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Olympus E-M10 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2014-03-18
  • 16MP - Four Thirds CMOS Sensor
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 3 Tilting Screen
  • 1440k dot Electronic viewfinder
  • 8 fps continuous shooting
  • 1920 x 1080 video resolution
  • Built-in Wireless
  • 396g. 119 x 82 x 46 mm

Olympus E-PL6 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2014-08-01
  • 16MP - Four Thirds CMOS Sensor
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • 8 fps continuous shooting
  • 1920 x 1080 video resolution
  • 325g. 111 x 64 x 38 mm

Olympus E-M10 was replaced by Olympus OM-D E-M10 II. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Olympus OM-D E-M10 II vs Olympus OM-D E-M10
Olympus OM-D E-M10 II vs Olympus PEN E-PL6

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Olympus E-M10 and Olympus E-PL6 compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Olympus OM-D E-M10 over Olympus PEN E-PL6
Wireless Connection Built-In vs Eye-Fi Connected Better connectivity
Built-in Flash Yes vs No Useful in low-light
Viewfinder Electronic vs Electronic (Optional) Better framing and control
Number of Focus Points 81 vs 35 46 more focus points
LCD Screen Resolution 1.037k dots vs 460k dots 125% higher resolution screen
Smartphone_remote control Yes vs No Remote control your camera with a smartphone
Reasons to choose Olympus PEN E-PL6 over Olympus OM-D E-M10
Battery Life 360 shots vs 320 shots 40 more frames with a single charge
Weight 325 g vs 396 g 71 g lighter
Flash Coverage 7.0m vs 5.8m 1.2m longer range
Selfie Friendly LCD Yes vs No Rotate LCD for taking Selfies
Common Strengths of Olympus OM-D E-M10 and Olympus PEN E-PL6
Image Stabilization Sensor-shift vs Sensor-shift All the lenses are stabilized
Articulating Screen Yes vs Yes Flexible shooting positions
External Flash Shoe Yes vs Yes Better for flash photography
Touch Screen Yes vs Yes Easy control of camera functions
RAW Support Yes vs Yes Better image quality
Face Detection Focus Yes vs Yes very handy for portraits
Continuous Shooting 8.0fps vs 8.0fps Fast shooting speeds
Timelapse Recording Yes vs Yes creative shooting
AE Bracketing Yes vs Yes Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR
Dual-axis Electronic Level Yes vs Yes Level the camera easily in two axis
Common Weaknesses of Olympus OM-D E-M10 and Olympus PEN E-PL6
Environmental Sealing No vs No not suitable for tough conditions
Olympus E-M10 vs Olympus E-PL6: 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 Olympus E-M10 and Olympus E-PL6 side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions.

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Olympus E-M10 and Olympus E-PL6. Olympus E-PL6 is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 8mm narrower, 18mm shorter and 8mm thinner than Olympus E-M10.

Olympus E-M10 vs Olympus E-PL6 Camera Size Comparison - Front View


Here is the back view size comparison of Olympus E-M10 and Olympus E-PL6.

Olympus E-M10 vs Olympus E-PL6 Camera Size Comparison - Back View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Olympus E-M10 and Olympus E-PL6.
Olympus E-M10 vs Olympus E-PL6 Camera Size Comparison - Top View

Olympus E-M10 vs Olympus E-PL6 Detailed Size Comparison

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Olympus E-PL6 is significantly lighter (71g ) than the Olympus E-M10 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 both Olympus E-M10 and Olympus E-PL6 have the same Four Thirds sized sensor, their lenses for a similar focal length and aperture will be similar in size and weight.

Weight Comparison

Mirrorless Cameras

E-M10
E-PL6
Min
Average
Max
Thickness Comparison

Mirrorless Cameras

E-M10
E-PL6
Min
Average
Max

Weather Sealing

Unfortunately neither Olympus OM-D E-M10 nor Olympus PEN E-PL6 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 Mirrorless Cameras with Weather Sealing

LCD Screen Size and Features

Olympus E-M10 and Olympus E-PL6's LCD screens has the same diagonal size of 3.

Olympus E-M10 vs Olympus E-PL6: Sensor Comparison

Both Olympus E-M10 and Olympus E-PL6 have Four Thirds sized 16.0 MP resolution sensors so sensor size and resolution is not a differentiator between these two cameras.

Below you can see the E-M10 and E-PL6 sensor size comparison.

Olympus E-M10 vs Olympus E-PL6 Sensor Size Comparison


Olympus E-M10 and Olympus E-PL6 have sensor sizes so they will provide same level of control over the depth of field when used with same focal length and aperture.

What types of Photography are Olympus E-M10 and Olympus E-PL6 Good for?
In this section, we rank and compare Olympus E-M10 and Olympus E-PL6 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.

Olympus E-M10 for Portrait Photography

GOOD

Olympus E-PL6 for Portrait Photography

GOOD
Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
Read the details
Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
Optional External Viewfinder
Average Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details

Olympus E-M10 for Street Photography

EXCELLENT

Olympus E-PL6 for Street Photography

EXCELLENT
Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Tilting LCD Screen
Medium sized Body
Read the details
Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Tilting LCD Screen
Optional External Viewfinder
Medium sized Body
Read the details

Olympus E-M10 for Sports Photography

GOOD

Olympus E-PL6 for Sports Photography

GOOD
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Continuous Shooting: 8.0fps
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
81 Focus Points
Wireless Connection
Environmental Sealings
Read the details
Image Stabilization
Fast Continuous Shooting: 8.0fps
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
35 Focus Points
Optional External Viewfinder
Average Ergonomics&Handling
Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Olympus E-M10 for Daily Photography

GOOD

Olympus E-PL6 for Daily Photography

GOOD
Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Medium size Body
396g
Body Thickness 46mm
Read the details
Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Medium size Body
325g
Read the details

Olympus E-M10 for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE

Olympus E-PL6 for Landscape Photography

POOR
Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Live-view
Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details
Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Live-view
Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details


Olympus E-PL6 vs Olympus E-M10 Comparison of Available Lenses
Which camera has more lenses?

Number of available lenses is a big decision factor while choosing your interchangeable lens camera. Olympus E-M10 and Olympus E-PL6 have the same Micro Four Thirds lens mount and currently there are 101 native lenses available for these cameras.

Another important factor is the availability of image stabilization. Both Olympus E-M10 and Olympus E-PL6 has Sensor based Image stabilization which means that all the lenses will be stabilized in these bodies.

Lens Type # of Olympus E-M10 Lenses # of Olympus E-PL6 Lenses
Standard Zoom 14 14
Standard Prime 12 12
Wideangle Zoom 5 5
Wideangle Prime 27 27
Telephoto Zoom 17 17
Telephoto Prime 8 8
SuperZoom 8 8
Wideangle Fisheye Prime 5 5
Macro Prime 4 4
Perspective Control Prime n/a n/a
Telephoto Mirror Prime 1 1
TOTAL 101 101
Olympus E-M10 vs Olympus E-PL6: 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 Olympus E-M10 and Olympus E-PL6, 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 Olympus E-M10 and Olympus E-PL6 scores compare:

Olympus E-M10
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #46 out of 68 in SLR-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #121 out of 1190 in all Cameras
Olympus E-PL6
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #56 out of 124 in Rangefinder-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #266 out of 1190 in all Cameras

Olympus E-M10 is the overall winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Olympus E-PL6 in all criteria except one: Portability. But the size difference between these cameras are negligible in real world so it is not a big disadvantage for Olympus E-M10.

Olympus E-M10
Olympus E-M10
$419.99

Olympus E-PL6
Olympus E-PL6
$299.99

Olympus E-PL6 vs Olympus E-M10 Specs Table
Detailed comparison of specifications
General Olympus OM-D E-M10 Olympus PEN E-PL6
Brand Olympus Olympus
Announced 2014-03-18 2014-08-01
Body Type SLR-style mirrorless Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor
Type CMOS CMOS
Size Four Thirds Four Thirds
Dimensions 17.3 x 13 mm 17.3 x 13 mm
Area 224.90mm2 224.90mm2
Megapixels 16 megapixels 16 Megapixels
Max Resolution 4608 x 3456 4608 x 3456
Max Native Light sensitivity 25,600 ISO 25,600 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity 200 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 81 35
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Number of Available Lenses 101 101
Screen
Type Tilting Tilting
Size 3 3"
Resolution 1,037k dots 460k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder Electronic Electronic (optional)
Viewfinder Resolution 1,440k dots no electronic viewfinder
Viewfinder Coverage 100% n/a
Viewfinder Magnification 0.58 n/a
Photography Features
Max Shutter Speed 1/4000s 1/4000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization Sensor-shift Sensor-shift
Built-in Flash
Flash Range 5.80 m (ISO100) 7.00 m (bundled FL-LM1)
Max Flash Sync 1/250s no built-in flash
External Flash
Continuous Shooting 8.0 fps 8.0 fps
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution 1920 x 1080 1920 x 1080
Video Formats H.264, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, Motion JPEG
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity Built-In Eye-Fi Connected
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight 396g 325g
Dimensions 119 x 82 x 46mm 111 x 64 x 38mm
Battery Life 320 shots 360 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS Optional None
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score 72 not tested
DxO Color Depth 22.8 not tested
DxO Dynamic Range 12.3 not tested
DxO Low Light ISO 884 not tested
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