Olympus E-P1 vs Sony A230

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.

Below is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus PEN E-P1 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A230. The complete galleries are available at Olympus E-P1 Gallery & Sony A230 Gallery.

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.

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.

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

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.