Leica
X1
 vs
Olympus
PEN E-P1

Leica X1

39
Winner

Leica X1
"Best high-ISO performance of any compact camera, bar none"
dpreview.com | talking about the X1's iso-noise
"Excellent image quality - at least in raw"
dpreview.com | talking about the X1's image-quality

Reasons to buy the Leica X1

Sensor size
 Large sensor
APS-C 23.6x15.8mm
Built-in flash
 Built-in flash
Usually standard
Olympus PEN E-P1

37
Runner-up

Olympus PEN E-P1

Reasons to buy the Olympus PEN E-P1

Image stabilization
 Image stabilization
Sensor shift
Interchangeable lenses
 Interchangeable lenses
Many lenses to choose from
Longest exposure
 Long exposures
60 seconds

differences

Advantages of the Leica X1
Sensor size Larger sensor APS-C 23.6x15.8mm vs Four thirds 18.0x13.5mm
Help
 More than 50% larger sensor
Built-in flash Built-in flash Yes vs No
Help
 A built-in flash is useful for taking indoor shots where there is little light
Size Slightly smaller 124x60x32 mm vs 121x70x36 mm
Help
 More than 20% smaller
Weight Slightly lighter 306 g vs 355 g
Help
 More than 10% lighter
Thickness Slightly thinner 1.3" vs 1.4"
Help
 More than 10% thinner
Leica X1 Learn more about
the Leica X1

Advantages of the Olympus PEN E-P1
Movie format Shoots movies 720p @ 30fps vs None
Help
 Shoots HD (720p) video as well as still pictures
Image stabilization Image stabilization Sensor shift vs None
Help
 Helps eliminate blur caused by small camera movements
Screen size Significantly larger screen 3.0" vs 2.7"
Help
 More than 10% larger screen
Interchangeable lenses Has interchangeable lenses Yes vs No
Help
 Can take advantage of a variety of lenses
True resolution Higher true resolution 12.2 MP vs 11 MP
Help
 Capture more than 10% more detail in your photos
Lowest price Much cheaper $279.00 vs $2,082.59
Help
 The best price we've seen is $1,804 cheaper (7.5x less)
Longest exposure Significantly longer exposures 60s vs 30s
Help
 2x longer exposures
Fastest shutter speed Significantly faster max shutter speed 1/4000s vs 1/2000s
Help
 2x faster max shutter speed
Olympus PEN E-P1 Learn more about
the Olympus PEN E-P1
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent digital cameras, and ignoring price

Leica X1 Leica X1
39 vs 37
Explain scores
Olympus PEN E-P1 Olympus PEN E-P1
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Leica X1. This recommendation, however, should be taken with a grain of salt since it doesn't always make sense to compare a boutique with a mirrorless interchangeable-lens.

performance Which camera has better performance? Cast your vote!

LeicaX1
 Leica X1 vs Olympus PEN E-P1
OlympusPEN E-P1
Uses Travel score Travel
On holiday or vacation
0
0
Vote Vote
Sports score Sports
Fast action, sometimes indoors
0
0
Vote Vote
Features Color accuracy Color accuracy
White balance in varied lighting
0
0
Vote Vote
Autofocus peformance Still image focusing
Speed and accuracy
0
0
Vote Vote
Manual controls Manual settings
How quickly and easily you can change settings
0
0
Vote Vote
Green arrow Join in the discussion below!

similarities

Compared to recent digital cameras

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Sensor size Large sensors Help
X1:APS-C 23.6x15.8mm
PEN E-P1:Four thirds 18.0x13.5mm
Supports RAW Supports RAW Help
Better editing
External flash Support external flash Help
Better lighting
Sensor type Better sensor types Help
X1:CMOS
PEN E-P1:NMOS
Longest exposure Long exposures Help
X1:30s
PEN E-P1:60s
Screen resolution Low resolution screens Help
230k dots
Movie format One shoots movies Help
X1:None
PEN E-P1:720p @ 30fps

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Fujifilm FinePix X100

Fujifilm FinePix X100

Boutique

$1,204 - $1,419
Aperture Has a significantly wider aperture
Overall image quality Has significantly better image quality
Lowest price Is slightly more expensive
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the FinePix X100 vs the X1
Compare the FinePix X100 vs the PEN E-P1
Fujifilm Finepix X10

Fujifilm Finepix X10

Pro digicam

$583 - $600
Aperture Has a significantly wider aperture
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Thickness Is thicker
Sensor size Has a slightly smaller sensor
Compare the Finepix X10 vs the X1
Compare the Finepix X10 vs the PEN E-P1
Canon PowerShot G1X

Canon PowerShot G1X

Boutique

$799
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Wide angle Has a much wider wide angle lens
Lowest price Is slightly more expensive
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the PowerShot G1X vs the X1
Compare the PowerShot G1X vs the PEN E-P1
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$705 body only

$932 - $968 with 14-42mm lens
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Screen resolution Has a slightly higher resolution screen
Color depth Has slightly less color depth
Compare the Lumix DMC-GX1 vs the X1
Compare the Lumix DMC-GX1 vs the PEN E-P1
Olympus PEN E-P2

Olympus PEN E-P2

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$450 with 17mm lens
Compare the PEN E-P2 vs the X1
Compare the PEN E-P2 vs the PEN E-P1
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$1,100 with 20mm lens
Screen resolution Has a slightly higher resolution screen
Autofocus Focuses automatically while shootting video
Lowest price Is slightly more expensive
Compare the Lumix DMC-GF1 vs the X1
Compare the Lumix DMC-GF1 vs the PEN E-P1
Nikon 1 V1

Nikon 1 V1

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$847 with 10-30mm lens
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Screen resolution Has a significantly higher resolution screen
Lowest price Is slightly more expensive
Sensor size Has a slightly smaller sensor
Compare the 1 V1 vs the X1
Compare the 1 V1 vs the PEN E-P1

Leica X1 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Fujifilm X-Pro1

Fujifilm X-Pro1

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens
Movie format Shoots movies
Screen resolution Much higher resolution screen
Size Larger
Weight Heavier
Compare the X-Pro1 vs the X1
Leica D-LUX 5

Leica D-LUX 5

Pro digicam

$1,237
Wide angle Much better wide angle
Macro focus Much better macro capability
Sensor size Much smaller sensor
Sensor type Has a CCD-family sensor
Compare the D-LUX 5 vs the X1
Sony NEX-7

Sony NEX-7

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens
Movie format Shoots movies
True resolution Much higher true resolution
Weight Slightly heavier
Thickness Slightly thicker
Compare the NEX-7 vs the X1

Olympus PEN E-P1 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Olympus PEN E-PL1

Olympus PEN E-PL1

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$279 - $299 with 14-42mm lens
Built-in flash Built-in flash
Color depth Better color depth
Screen size Significantly smaller screen
Size Slightly larger
Compare the PEN E-PL1 vs the PEN E-P1
Olympus PEN E-P3

Olympus PEN E-P3

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$899 - $900 with 17mm lens
Screen type Has an OLED screen
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Overall image quality Worse image quality
Color depth Worse color depth
Compare the PEN E-P3 vs the PEN E-P1
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF2

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF2

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$329 - $379 with 14-42mm lens
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Touch screen Has a touch screen
Image stabilization No image stabilization
Color depth Worse color depth
Compare the Lumix DMC-GF2 vs the PEN E-P1
Olympus PEN E-PL2

Olympus PEN E-PL2

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$449 with 14-42mm lens
Screen resolution Higher resolution screen
Built-in flash Built-in flash
Size Slightly larger
Dynamic range Less dynamic range
Compare the PEN E-PL2 vs the PEN E-P1
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$550 body only

$439 with 14-42mm lens
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Touch screen Has a touch screen
Image stabilization No image stabilization
Overall image quality Worse image quality
Compare the Lumix DMC-GF3 vs the PEN E-P1

appearance

Leica X1 Olympus PEN E-P1
Leica X1 Olympus PEN E-P1
Leica X1 Olympus PEN E-P1

Find similar cameras

Here are some links to help you find other cameras with similar features to both of these:

discussion Which do you think is better?

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