Olympus E-1 vs Sony A700

The following is a thorough review of the Olympus E-1 vs Sony A700, one is a Pro DSLR and the latter is a Advanced DSLR by competitors Olympus and Sony. There exists a crucial gap among the resolutions of the E-1 (5MP) and A700 (12MP) and the E-1 (Four Thirds) and A700 (APS-C) feature totally different sensor dimensions.

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The E-1 was announced 5 years earlier than the A700 which is a fairly serious gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-1 being a Large SLR camera and the Sony A700 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before going through a detailed comparison, below is a simple synopsis of how the E-1 matches up against the A700 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Below is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus E-1 and Sony Alpha DSLR-A700. The whole galleries are provided at Olympus E-1 Gallery and Sony A700 Gallery.

When you are planning to travel with your camera frequently, you will want to think about its weight and size. The Olympus E-1 comes with outside measurements of 141mm x 104mm x 81mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.2") having a weight of 735 grams (1.62 lbs) whilst the Sony A700 has specifications of 142mm x 105mm x 80mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.1") along with a weight of 768 grams (1.69 lbs).

See the Olympus E-1 vs Sony A700 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you have attached at the time. Underneath is the front view measurement comparison of the E-1 vs the A700.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-1 and A700 is 59 and 58 respectively.

Quite often, it is hard to see the contrast in sensor dimensions just by viewing a spec sheet. The pic here will give you a clearer sense of the sensor measurements in the E-1 and A700.

Clearly, both the cameras offer different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The E-1 using its smaller sensor will make achieving shallow DOF harder and the Sony A700 will render more detail with its extra 7 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also help you crop pictures a little more aggressively. The more aged E-1 will be behind in sensor technology.