Olympus E-PL1 vs Sony A450

Its time to look more closely at the Olympus E-PL1 vs Sony A450, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. The sensor resolution of the E-PL1 (12MP) and the A450 (14MP) is pretty similar but the E-PL1 (Four Thirds) and A450 (APS-C) provide totally different sensor measurements.

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The E-PL1 was launched 5 months later than the A450 and they are both of a similar generation. Both the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A450 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving straight to a complete comparison, here is a short overview of how the E-PL1 grades versus the A450 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

The following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus PEN E-PL1 and Sony Alpha DSLR-A450. The complete galleries are available at Olympus E-PL1 Gallery and Sony A450 Gallery.

For anyone who is looking to carry your camera regularly, you will need to factor its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-PL1 comes with external measurements of 115mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") with a weight of 334 grams (0.74 lbs) while the Sony A450 has measurements of 137mm x 104mm x 81mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.2") accompanied by a weight of 560 grams (1.23 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-PL1 vs Sony A450 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you have chosen at that moment. Below is a front view size comparison of the E-PL1 vs the A450.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL1 and A450 is 86 and 65 respectively.

Generally, it's tough to envision the difference between sensor sizing purely by reviewing a spec sheet. The graphic below may offer you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PL1 and A450.

As you can see, the 2 cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-PL1 featuring a tinier sensor will make getting bokeh more challenging and the Sony A450 will offer more detail utilizing its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop photographs more aggressively.