Olympus E-PL2 has a
12.0MP Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Truepic V processor. On the other hand, Nikon 1 J2 has a
10.0MP 1-inch (13.2 x 8.8 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Expeed 3 processor.
Below you can see the E-PL2 and 1 J2 sensor size comparison.
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Olympus E-PL2 and Nikon 1 J2 Cameras
As seen above, Olympus E-PL2 has a 1.9x Larger sensor area than Nikon 1 J2. 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 Olympus E-PL2 and Nikon 1 J2 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, E-PL2 has scored 55, 1 points higher than 1 J2.
Model
Overall
Color Depth
Dynamic Range
Low-light ISO
Olympus E-PL2
55
21.4 bits
10.2 Evs
573 ISO
Nikon 1 J2
54
21.3 bits
10.8 Evs
363 ISO
Sensor size sets the circle of confusion, so it drives how much depth of field each
of these bodies gives you at a given aperture. You can calculate it exactly for the
Olympus E-PL2
or the
Nikon 1 J2 ,
including hyperfocal distance.
One thing to watch when comparing these two: they have different sensor sizes
(Four Thirds versus 1-inch),
so compare them at the same framing rather than the same focal length.
Put the same focal length on the smaller sensor and it will show less depth of
field, not more, because it also crops tighter. The calculator shows the
full frame equivalent focal length for each body so you can match the framing.
