Olympus E-5 vs Sony a1

Below, we will be matching up the Olympus E-5 and Sony a1, former being a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Pro Mirrorless by rivals Olympus and Sony. There is a substantial difference among the sensor resolutions of the E-5 (12MP) and a1 (50MP) and the E-5 (Four Thirds) and a1 (Full frame) enjoy different sensor sizing.

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The E-5 was announced 11 years earlier than the a1 and that is a fairly big difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-5 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony a1 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before delving through a more detailed comparison, below is a quick introduction of how the E-5 grades versus the a1 for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus E-5 & Sony Alpha a1. The whole galleries are viewable at Olympus E-5 Gallery & Sony a1 Gallery.

If you are going to lug around your camera frequently, you will have to consider its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-5 features outside dimensions of 143mm x 117mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") having a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs) and the Sony a1 has proportions of 129mm x 97mm x 70mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8") with a weight of 737 grams (1.62 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-5 and Sony a1 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you select at that moment. Underneath is the front view physical size comparison of the E-5 vs the a1.

Considering size and weight, the portability rating of the E-5 and a1 is 58 and 61 respectively.

Oftentimes, it's difficult to visualize the gap in sensor measurements merely by viewing specifications. The photograph below will give you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-5 and a1.

To sum up, both the cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-5 having a smaller sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field more difficult and the Sony a1 will result in greater detail with its extra 38MP. Higher resolution can also help you crop pictures somewhat more aggressively. The older E-5 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.