Olympus E-PL1 vs Sony A390

Let's look a bit more in depth at the Olympus E-PL1 versus Sony A390, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by competitors Olympus and Sony. The image resolution of the E-PL1 (12MP) and the A390 (14MP) is relatively comparable but the E-PL1 (Four Thirds) and A390 (APS-C) come with different sensor measurements.

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The E-PL1 was announced 2 months earlier than the A390 so they are of a similar generation. Both cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A390 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving in to a more detailed comparison, below is a concise summary of how the E-PL1 matches up against the A390 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Below is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus PEN E-PL1 and Sony Alpha DSLR-A390. The whole galleries are provided at Olympus E-PL1 Gallery and Sony A390 Gallery.

If you are planning to travel with your camera often, you need to factor its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-PL1 offers external measurements of 115mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") having a weight of 334 grams (0.74 lbs) whilst the Sony A390 has proportions of 128mm x 97mm x 86mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 3.4") with a weight of 549 grams (1.21 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-PL1 versus Sony A390 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you have at the time. Underneath is the front view dimension comparison of the E-PL1 against the A390.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL1 and A390 is 86 and 66 respectively.

In many cases, its tough to imagine the contrast in sensor dimensions just by seeing specifications. The picture below will help provide you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the E-PL1 and A390.

To sum up, both of those cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The E-PL1 with its smaller sensor is going to make achieving bokeh harder and the Sony A390 will produce extra detail with its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop shots much more aggressively.