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Olympus E-P1 vs Sony A99

Portability
86
Imaging
47
Features
42
Overall
45
Olympus PEN E-P1 front
 
Sony SLT-A99 front
Portability
57
Imaging
69
Features
88
Overall
76

Olympus E-P1 vs Sony A99 Key Specs

Olympus E-P1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 355g - 121 x 70 x 36mm
  • Introduced July 2009
  • Refreshed by Olympus E-P2
Sony A99
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 812g - 147 x 111 x 78mm
  • Revealed December 2012
  • Replaced the Sony A900
  • Successor is Sony A99 II
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Olympus E-P1 vs Sony A99 Overview

Here, we are analyzing the Olympus E-P1 versus Sony A99, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Advanced DSLR by competitors Olympus and Sony. There is a crucial difference among the sensor resolutions of the E-P1 (12MP) and A99 (24MP) and the E-P1 (Four Thirds) and A99 (Full frame) have different sensor sizing.

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The E-P1 was announced 4 years before the A99 which is a fairly serious gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-P1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A99 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before going straight to a comprehensive comparison, here is a quick introduction of how the E-P1 matches up versus the A99 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-P1 over the Sony A99

 E-P1 A99 

Reasons to pick Sony A99 over the Olympus E-P1

 A99 E-P1 
RevealedDecember 2012July 2009Newer by 41 months
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Display resolution1229k230kClearer display (+999k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies

Common features in the Olympus E-P1 and Sony A99

 E-P1 A99 
Manual focus More precise focus
Display size3"3"Same display measurement
Touch friendly display Neither contains Touch friendly display

Olympus E-P1 vs Sony A99 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is aiming to travel with your camera, you need to take into account its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-P1 has got physical 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 A99 has proportions of 147mm x 111mm x 78mm (5.8" x 4.4" x 3.1") with a weight of 812 grams (1.79 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-P1 versus Sony A99 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you are utilising at that time. The following is a front view measurements comparison of the E-P1 vs the A99.

Olympus E-P1 vs Sony A99 size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability rating of the E-P1 and A99 is 86 and 57 respectively.

Olympus E-P1 vs Sony A99 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-P1 vs Sony A99 Sensor Comparison

Generally, it is very hard to imagine the difference in sensor dimensions only by going through specs. The picture here might give you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-P1 and A99.

All in all, both of those cameras feature different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The E-P1 having a smaller sensor is going to make shooting shallow depth of field trickier and the Sony A99 will produce more detail with its extra 12 Megapixels. Greater resolution will help you crop photos way more aggressively. The more aged E-P1 will be behind when it comes to sensor tech.

Olympus E-P1 vs Sony A99 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-P1 vs Sony A99 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-P1 vs Sony A99 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-P1 Portrait photography factors
Sony A99 Portrait photography factors
60
you can focus manually
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
offers face detect focus
delivers RAW formats
sensor resolution low (12MP)
81
focusing manually
decent megapixels (24MP)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
offers face detection focusing
exports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-P1 Street photography details
Sony A99 Street photography details
74
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
no articulating screen
75
screen articulates
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
exports RAW files
weather proof
very good high ISO (25,600)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-P1 Sports photography advice
Sony A99 Sports photography advice
40
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
painfully slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames/s)
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
low battery life (300 CIPA)
no phase detect auto focus
78
high shutter speed (1/8,000s)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent megapixels (24MP)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
offers tracking autofocus
weather proof
supports phase detect AF
bad battery power (500 CIPA)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-P1 Travel photography info
Sony A99 Travel photography info
43
does not have Timelapse function
low battery life (300 per charge)
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
does not posses selfie friendly screen
60
weather proof
decent megapixels (24MP)
screen is selfie friendly
lack of Time Lapse recording
bad battery power (500 per charge)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-P1
Landscape photography with Sony A99
60
you can focus manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice screen size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
sensor resolution low (12MP)
low battery life (300 shots)
does not have Timelapse function
74
focusing manually
swap lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen size is decent (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent megapixels (24MP)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
very good high ISO (25,600)
exports RAW files
weather proof
has double storage slots
bad battery power (500 CIPA)
lack of Time Lapse recording
Photography Glossary

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-P1 Vlogging factors
Sony A99 Vlogging factors
29
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
offers face detect focus
does not posses selfie friendly screen
video quality not great (1280 x 720 resolution)
does not have microphone support
76
screen is selfie friendly
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
offers face detection focusing
high video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
comes with external mic port
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Olympus E-P1 vs Sony A99 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-P1 and Sony A99
 Olympus PEN E-P1Sony SLT-A99
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Sony
Model Olympus PEN E-P1 Sony SLT-A99
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Advanced DSLR
Introduced 2009-07-29 2012-12-12
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic V Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Full frame
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 35.8 x 23.8mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 852.0mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 24MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4032 x 3024 6000 x 4000
Maximum native ISO 6400 25600
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch focus
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Number of focus points 11 19
Cross focus points - 11
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds Sony/Minolta Alpha
Number of lenses 107 143
Crop factor 2.1 1
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Screen sizing 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of screen 230k dot 1,229k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Screen technology HyperCrystal LCD with AR(Anti-Reflective) coating TFT Xtra Fine color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359k dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.71x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60s 30s
Highest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/8000s
Continuous shooting speed 3.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range no built-in flash no built-in flash
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/180s 1/250s
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60, 24 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 640 x 424 (29.97 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video file format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
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 BuiltIn
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 355 gr (0.78 lbs) 812 gr (1.79 lbs)
Physical dimensions 121 x 70 x 36mm (4.8" x 2.8" x 1.4") 147 x 111 x 78mm (5.8" x 4.4" x 3.1")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 55 89
DXO Color Depth score 21.4 25.0
DXO Dynamic range score 10.4 14.0
DXO Low light score 536 1555
Other
Battery life 300 shots 500 shots
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLS-1 NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage media SD/SDHC card Memory Stick PRO Duo/Pro-HG Duo; SD, SDHC and SDXC
Storage slots Single 2
Launch pricing $182 $1,998