Olympus E-M5 vs Sony A230

Lets look a bit more in depth at the Olympus E-M5 versus Sony A230, one being a Advanced Mirrorless and the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by brands Olympus and Sony. There is a huge difference among the resolutions of the E-M5 (16MP) and A230 (10MP) and the E-M5 (Four Thirds) and A230 (APS-C) have totally different sensor measurements.

Photography Glossary

The E-M5 was announced 2 years later than the A230 and that is a fairly significant gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-M5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A230 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before delving right into a thorough comparison, here is a brief overview of how the E-M5 scores versus the A230 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus OM-D E-M5 and Sony Alpha DSLR-A230. The whole galleries are available at Olympus E-M5 Gallery and Sony A230 Gallery.

If you're looking to lug around your camera often, you will want to consider its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-M5 has outside dimensions of 122mm x 89mm x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") accompanied by a weight of 425 grams (0.94 lbs) whilst the Sony A230 has proportions of 128mm x 97mm x 68mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.7") and a weight of 490 grams (1.08 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-M5 versus Sony A230 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you have attached during that time. The following is a front view dimensions comparison of the E-M5 and the A230.

Looking at size and weight, the portability score of the E-M5 and A230 is 81 and 69 respectively.

Oftentimes, it's difficult to envision the gap in sensor measurements just by researching specs. The visual underneath might provide you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-M5 and A230.

As you can plainly see, both of these cameras come with different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-M5 using its smaller sensor will make shooting shallow DOF tougher and the Olympus E-M5 will render more detail with its extra 6MP. Higher resolution can also let you crop photographs a good deal more aggressively. The fresher E-M5 will have an edge in sensor tech.