Olympus E-PL1 vs Sigma SD9

The following is a detailed review of the Olympus E-PL1 and Sigma SD9, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Advanced DSLR by companies Olympus and Sigma. There is a noticeable difference among the sensor resolutions of the E-PL1 (12MP) and SD9 (3MP) and the E-PL1 (Four Thirds) and SD9 (APS-C) offer different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The E-PL1 was manufactured 7 years after the SD9 which is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera tech is concerned. The two cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sigma SD9 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before getting into a in depth comparison, here is a short overview of how the E-PL1 grades against the SD9 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

The following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus PEN E-PL1 & Sigma SD9. The entire galleries are available at Olympus E-PL1 Gallery & Sigma SD9 Gallery.

For anyone who is aiming to travel with your camera frequently, you will need to factor its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-PL1 comes with physical dimensions of 115mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") accompanied by a weight of 334 grams (0.74 lbs) while the Sigma SD9 has measurements of 152mm x 120mm x 79mm (6.0" x 4.7" x 3.1") having a weight of 950 grams (2.09 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-PL1 and Sigma SD9 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you are using during that time. Here is a front view dimensions comparison of the E-PL1 and the SD9.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL1 and SD9 is 86 and 54 respectively.

In many cases, its difficult to imagine the contrast in sensor dimensions just by looking through specifications. The image here should provide you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL1 and SD9.

Plainly, both of the cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The E-PL1 due to its smaller sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field harder and the Olympus E-PL1 will render greater detail due to its extra 9MP. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop photographs more aggressively. The more recent E-PL1 provides a benefit in sensor tech.