Olympus E-P1 vs Sony A58

Following is a thorough comparison of the Olympus E-P1 and Sony A58, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by brands Olympus and Sony. There is a crucial difference among the image resolutions of the E-P1 (12MP) and A58 (20MP) and the E-P1 (Four Thirds) and A58 (APS-C) possess totally different sensor measurements.

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The E-P1 was launched 5 years before the A58 which is a fairly serious gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of these cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-P1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A58 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving in to a comprehensive comparison, below is a simple overview of how the E-P1 matches up vs the A58 for portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus PEN E-P1 and Sony SLT-A58. The complete galleries are viewable at Olympus E-P1 Gallery and Sony A58 Gallery.

When you are going to carry around your camera frequently, you are going to need to factor in its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-P1 features physical dimensions of 121mm x 70mm x 36mm (4.8" x 2.8" x 1.4") accompanied by a weight of 355 grams (0.78 lbs) and the Sony A58 has measurements of 129mm x 95mm x 78mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 3.1") along with a weight of 492 grams (1.08 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-P1 and Sony A58 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you use at the time. The following is the front view measurements comparison of the E-P1 versus the A58.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the E-P1 and A58 is 86 and 68 respectively.

Generally, it is very hard to envision the difference in sensor sizes merely by seeing a spec sheet. The image below will help provide you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-P1 and A58.

Clearly, each of the cameras enjoy different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The E-P1 because of its smaller sensor will make shooting shallow DOF tougher and the Sony A58 will show extra detail utilizing its extra 8 Megapixels. Higher resolution will enable you to crop shots far more aggressively. The more aged E-P1 will be behind with regard to sensor technology.