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Olympus E-P1 vs Sony A230

Portability
86
Imaging
47
Features
42
Overall
45
Olympus PEN E-P1 front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A230 front
Portability
69
Imaging
50
Features
40
Overall
46

Olympus E-P1 vs Sony A230 Key Specs

Olympus E-P1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 355g - 121 x 70 x 36mm
  • Revealed July 2009
  • Later Model is Olympus E-P2
Sony A230
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 490g - 128 x 97 x 68mm
  • Revealed May 2009
  • Previous Model is Sony A200
  • Successor is Sony A290
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Olympus E-P1 vs Sony A230 Overview

Its time to look more closely at the Olympus E-P1 versus Sony A230, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by brands Olympus and Sony. The sensor resolution of the E-P1 (12MP) and the A230 (10MP) is relatively similar but the E-P1 (Four Thirds) and A230 (APS-C) posses different sensor sizes.

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The E-P1 was launched 3 months after the A230 and they are of a similar age. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-P1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A230 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before getting into a in-depth comparison, here is a concise overview of how the E-P1 matches up versus the A230 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-P1 over the Sony A230

 E-P1 A230 
Screen size3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")

Reasons to pick Sony A230 over the Olympus E-P1

 A230 E-P1 

Common features in the Olympus E-P1 and Sony A230

 E-P1 A230 
RevealedJuly 2009May 2009Similar age
Manually focus Dial exact focusing
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen resolution230k230kSame screen resolution
Selfie screen Absent selfie screen
Touch screen Absent Touch screen

Olympus E-P1 vs Sony A230 Physical Comparison

For those who are looking to travel with your camera frequently, you need to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-P1 comes with physical dimensions of 121mm x 70mm x 36mm (4.8" x 2.8" x 1.4") having a weight of 355 grams (0.78 lbs) while the Sony A230 has dimensions of 128mm x 97mm x 68mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.7") with a weight of 490 grams (1.08 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-P1 versus Sony A230 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you are utilizing at that moment. Underneath is a front view size comparison of the E-P1 against the A230.

Olympus E-P1 vs Sony A230 size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability score of the E-P1 and A230 is 86 and 69 respectively.

Olympus E-P1 vs Sony A230 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-P1 vs Sony A230 Sensor Comparison

Generally, it's difficult to imagine the gap between sensor dimensions simply by going over technical specs. The pic underneath might offer you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-P1 and A230.

As you can tell, both cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The E-P1 due to its tinier sensor is going to make shooting shallower DOF trickier and the Olympus E-P1 will offer greater detail utilizing its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also let you crop pictures a good deal more aggressively.

Olympus E-P1 vs Sony A230 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-P1 vs Sony A230 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-P1 vs Sony A230 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-P1 Portrait photography features
Sony A230 Portrait photography features
60
manual focus
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
has face detection autofocus
delivers RAW files
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
54
focusing manually
good sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
doesn't have liveview
MP count low (10 megapixels)
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-P1 Street photography information
Sony A230 Street photography information
74
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
no articulating screen
67
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
no moving screen
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-P1 Sports photography features
Sony A230 Sports photography features
40
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
max fps low (3.0 frames per second)
resolution not great (12MP)
not so great battery life (300 CIPA)
has no phase detect autofocus
46
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (APS-C)
sensor has phase detect auto focus
doesn't have liveview
slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames/s)
MP count low (10 megapixels)
terrible battery (230 CIPA)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-P1 Travel photography info
Sony A230 Travel photography info
43
doesn't have Timelapse function
not so great battery life (300 per charge)
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
does not contain selfie friendly display
45
flash built-in
lack of Time Lapse mode
terrible battery (230 CIPA)
MP count low (10 megapixels)
display is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-P1 Landscape photography information
Sony A230 Landscape photography information
60
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
good sized screen (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
not so great battery life (300 CIPA)
doesn't have Timelapse function
51
focusing manually
switch lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
tiny screen (2.7")
doesn't have liveview
MP count low (10 megapixels)
terrible battery (230 per charge)
lack of Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-P1
Vlogging with Sony A230
29
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
has face detection autofocus
does not contain selfie friendly display
video res low (1280 x 720 pxls)
doesn't have external microphone port
9
no video recording
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-P1 vs Sony A230 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-P1 and Sony A230
 Olympus PEN E-P1Sony Alpha DSLR-A230
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus PEN E-P1 Sony Alpha DSLR-A230
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Entry-Level DSLR
Revealed 2009-07-29 2009-05-18
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic V Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 23.5 x 15.7mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 369.0mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 10MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4032 x 3024 3872 x 2592
Highest native ISO 6400 3200
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW data
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 11 9
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds Sony/Minolta Alpha
Available lenses 107 143
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1.5
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display sizing 3" 2.7"
Resolution of display 230k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Display technology HyperCrystal LCD with AR(Anti-Reflective) coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder coverage - 95 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.55x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60s 30s
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000s 1/4000s
Continuous shooting rate 3.0 frames/s 3.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 10.00 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Wireless
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/180s 1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) -
Highest video resolution 1280x720 None
Video file format Motion JPEG -
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 355 grams (0.78 lbs) 490 grams (1.08 lbs)
Physical dimensions 121 x 70 x 36mm (4.8" x 2.8" x 1.4") 128 x 97 x 68mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.7")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 55 63
DXO Color Depth rating 21.4 22.3
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.4 11.4
DXO Low light rating 536 531
Other
Battery life 300 photos 230 photos
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLS-1 NP-FH50
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC card SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo
Card slots Single Single
Retail cost $182 $569