Olympus E-P1 vs Sony A450
86 Imaging
46 Features
42 Overall
44


65 Imaging
53 Features
52 Overall
52
Olympus E-P1 vs Sony A450 Key Specs
(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
- Announced July 2009
- Updated by Olympus E-P2
(Full Review)
- 14MP - APS-C Sensor
- 2.7" Fixed Screen
- ISO 200 - 12800
- Sensor based Image Stabilization
- No Video
- Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
- 560g - 137 x 104 x 81mm
- Introduced January 2010

Olympus E-P1 vs Sony A450 Overview
Lets examine more in depth at the Olympus E-P1 versus Sony A450, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. The image resolution of the E-P1 (12MP) and the A450 (14MP) is pretty comparable but the E-P1 (Four Thirds) and A450 (APS-C) possess different sensor measurements.

The E-P1 was unveiled 5 months before the A450 and they are both of a similar generation. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-P1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A450 being a Compact SLR camera.
Before delving through a thorough comparison, below is a quick highlight of how the E-P1 matches up vs the A450 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Olympus E-P1 vs Sony A450 Gallery
This is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus PEN E-P1 and Sony Alpha DSLR-A450. The full galleries are viewable at Olympus E-P1 Gallery and Sony A450 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-P1 over the Sony A450
E-P1 | A450 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Screen dimension | 3" | ![]() | 2.7" | Bigger screen (+0.3") |
Reasons to pick Sony A450 over the Olympus E-P1
A450 | E-P1 |
---|
Common features in the Olympus E-P1 and Sony A450
E-P1 | A450 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Introduced | July 2009 | ![]() | January 2010 | Same generation |
Focus manually | ![]() | More precise focus | ||
Screen type | Fixed | ![]() | Fixed | Fixed screen |
Screen resolution | 230k | ![]() | 230k | Identical screen resolution |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Neither contains selfie screen | ||
Touch friendly screen | ![]() | Neither contains Touch friendly screen |
Olympus E-P1 vs Sony A450 Physical Comparison
When you are intending to lug around your camera regularly, you'll have to think about its weight and volume. The Olympus E-P1 has got external dimensions of 121mm x 70mm x 36mm (4.8" x 2.8" x 1.4") having a weight of 355 grams (0.78 lbs) whilst the Sony A450 has sizing of 137mm x 104mm x 81mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.2") accompanied by a weight of 560 grams (1.23 lbs).
Check out the Olympus E-P1 versus Sony A450 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you are using at that time. Underneath is the front view scale comparison of the E-P1 vs the A450.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-P1 and A450 is 86 and 65 respectively.

Olympus E-P1 vs Sony A450 Sensor Comparison
Quite often, its hard to visualize the contrast in sensor measurements only by going through a spec sheet. The photograph below might provide you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the E-P1 and A450.
As you can see, both of those cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-P1 having a smaller sensor is going to make shooting shallow DOF harder and the Sony A450 will produce greater detail having an extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop photographs much more aggressively.

Olympus E-P1 vs Sony A450 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-P1 vs Sony A450 Specifications
Olympus PEN E-P1 | Sony Alpha DSLR-A450 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Manufacturer | Olympus | Sony |
Model type | Olympus PEN E-P1 | Sony Alpha DSLR-A450 |
Class | Entry-Level Mirrorless | Entry-Level DSLR |
Announced | 2009-07-29 | 2010-01-05 |
Body design | Rangefinder-style mirrorless | Compact SLR |
Sensor Information | ||
Processor Chip | TruePic V | Bionz |
Sensor type | CMOS | CMOS |
Sensor size | Four Thirds | APS-C |
Sensor dimensions | 17.3 x 13mm | 23.4 x 15.6mm |
Sensor surface area | 224.9mm² | 365.0mm² |
Sensor resolution | 12MP | 14MP |
Anti alias filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 | 3:2 and 16:9 |
Highest resolution | 4032 x 3024 | 4592 x 3056 |
Highest native ISO | 6400 | 12800 |
Min native ISO | 100 | 200 |
RAW support | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
Touch to focus | ||
Autofocus continuous | ||
Autofocus single | ||
Tracking autofocus | ||
Selective autofocus | ||
Center weighted autofocus | ||
Multi area autofocus | ||
Autofocus live view | ||
Face detect autofocus | ||
Contract detect autofocus | ||
Phase detect autofocus | ||
Total focus points | 11 | 9 |
Lens | ||
Lens support | Micro Four Thirds | Sony/Minolta Alpha |
Total lenses | 107 | 143 |
Crop factor | 2.1 | 1.5 |
Screen | ||
Display type | Fixed Type | Fixed Type |
Display diagonal | 3 inches | 2.7 inches |
Display resolution | 230k dot | 230k dot |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch display | ||
Display technology | HyperCrystal LCD with AR(Anti-Reflective) coating | TFT Clear Photo Color LCD |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder type | None | Optical (pentamirror) |
Viewfinder coverage | - | 95 percent |
Viewfinder magnification | - | 0.53x |
Features | ||
Slowest shutter speed | 60 secs | 30 secs |
Maximum shutter speed | 1/4000 secs | 1/4000 secs |
Continuous shooting speed | 3.0fps | 7.0fps |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manual exposure | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
Custom white balance | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Inbuilt flash | ||
Flash distance | no built-in flash | 12.00 m (at ISO 100) |
Flash modes | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) | Auto, Fill, Rear Sync, Slow Sync, Wireless/ High Speed Sync |
External flash | ||
AEB | ||
White balance bracketing | ||
Maximum flash sync | 1/180 secs | 1/160 secs |
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 format | Motion JPEG | - |
Mic jack | ||
Headphone jack | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | None | None |
Bluetooth | ||
NFC | ||
HDMI | ||
USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
GPS | None | None |
Physical | ||
Environment seal | ||
Water proofing | ||
Dust proofing | ||
Shock proofing | ||
Crush proofing | ||
Freeze proofing | ||
Weight | 355 gr (0.78 pounds) | 560 gr (1.23 pounds) |
Dimensions | 121 x 70 x 36mm (4.8" x 2.8" x 1.4") | 137 x 104 x 81mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.2") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO All around rating | 55 | 66 |
DXO Color Depth rating | 21.4 | 21.8 |
DXO Dynamic range rating | 10.4 | 11.8 |
DXO Low light rating | 536 | 769 |
Other | ||
Battery life | 300 images | 1050 images |
Battery form | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
Battery ID | BLS-1 | NP-FM500H |
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/ Pro-HG Duo |
Storage slots | 1 | 1 |
Pricing at launch | $182 | $1,241 |