Olympus E-P1 vs Sony A350

Lets look closer at the Olympus E-P1 and Sony A350, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. The resolution of the E-P1 (12MP) and the A350 (14MP) is very similar but the E-P1 (Four Thirds) and A350 (APS-C) have different sensor measurements.

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The E-P1 was released 14 months later than the A350 making them a generation apart from each other. Both of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-P1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A350 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before going straight to a complete comparison, here is a quick summary of how the E-P1 matches up vs the A350 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus PEN E-P1 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A350. The complete galleries are available at Olympus E-P1 Gallery & Sony A350 Gallery.

In case you're intending to lug around your camera regularly, you should factor in its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-P1 provides outside measurements of 121mm x 70mm x 36mm (4.8" x 2.8" x 1.4") along with a weight of 355 grams (0.78 lbs) whilst the Sony A350 has measurements of 131mm x 99mm x 75mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0") along with a weight of 674 grams (1.49 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-P1 and Sony A350 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you are employing at the time. Here is a front view sizing comparison of the E-P1 vs the A350.

Considering size and weight, the portability rating of the E-P1 and A350 is 86 and 62 respectively.

Often, it can be difficult to picture the contrast between sensor measurements purely by reading specs. The photograph here might give you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-P1 and A350.

All in all, the 2 cameras have different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-P1 due to its tinier sensor is going to make achieving shallower DOF more difficult and the Sony A350 will deliver more detail as a result of its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also allow you to crop pics a bit more aggressively. The younger E-P1 provides a benefit when it comes to sensor tech.