Olympus E-P1 vs Sony a5000

Below is a thorough analysis of the Olympus E-P1 versus Sony a5000, both Entry-Level Mirrorless cameras by rivals Olympus and Sony. There is a sizeable difference among the sensor resolutions of the E-P1 (12MP) and a5000 (20MP) and the E-P1 (Four Thirds) and a5000 (APS-C) come with totally different sensor sizes.

Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

The E-P1 was revealed 5 years before the a5000 and that is a fairly large gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of these cameras come with the identical body type (Rangefinder-style mirrorless).

Before delving in to a in depth comparison, below is a simple summary of how the E-P1 matches up versus the a5000 for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN E-P1 and Sony Alpha a5000. The full galleries are provided at Olympus E-P1 Gallery and Sony a5000 Gallery.

If you are going to lug around your camera often, you are going to need to factor in its weight and volume. The Olympus E-P1 features outside 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 a5000 has sizing of 110mm x 63mm x 36mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.4") and a weight of 269 grams (0.59 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-P1 versus Sony a5000 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you are working with at that moment. Here is the front view physical size comparison of the E-P1 vs the a5000.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability score of the E-P1 and a5000 is 86 and 89 respectively.

Often, it's difficult to envision the gap in sensor measurements just by researching technical specs. The photograph below will help give you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the E-P1 and a5000.

As you can tell, the two cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-P1 having a smaller sensor will make achieving shallow depth of field more difficult and the Sony a5000 will provide you with extra detail because of its extra 8MP. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop photos somewhat more aggressively. The older E-P1 will be behind in sensor tech.