Olympus E-5 vs Sony A580

Here is a comprehensive overview of the Olympus E-5 and Sony A580, former being a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by competitors Olympus and Sony. There exists a noticeable gap between the image resolutions of the E-5 (12MP) and A580 (16MP) and the E-5 (Four Thirds) and A580 (APS-C) enjoy different sensor sizing.

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The E-5 was unveiled 3 months prior to the A580 and they are both of a similar age. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-5 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony A580 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before delving in to a complete comparison, below is a brief summation of how the E-5 scores vs the A580 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus E-5 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A580. The full galleries are viewable at Olympus E-5 Gallery & Sony A580 Gallery.

If you're looking to carry your camera regularly, you will have to factor in its weight and size. The Olympus E-5 features outer measurements of 143mm x 117mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") having a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs) while the Sony A580 has specifications of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") having a weight of 599 grams (1.32 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-5 and Sony A580 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you have chosen during that time. The following is the front view size comparison of the E-5 vs the A580.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-5 and A580 is 58 and 64 respectively.

More often than not, it is very tough to imagine the gap between sensor sizing purely by reading through technical specs. The photograph below may give you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the E-5 and A580.

As you have seen, both cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The E-5 having a tinier sensor is going to make achieving bokeh more difficult and the Sony A580 will give greater detail having an extra 4MP. Higher resolution can also let you crop pictures somewhat more aggressively.