Olympus E-PL1 vs Sony A580

The following is a in depth comparison of the Olympus E-PL1 vs Sony A580, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. There exists a large gap among the resolutions of the E-PL1 (12MP) and A580 (16MP) and the E-PL1 (Four Thirds) and A580 (APS-C) come with totally different sensor sizing.

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The E-PL1 was announced 12 months prior to the A580 which means that they are of a similar age. Both cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A580 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before going straight into a step-by-step comparison, below is a short introduction of how the E-PL1 matches up vs the A580 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Here is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus PEN E-PL1 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A580. The whole galleries are viewable at Olympus E-PL1 Gallery & Sony A580 Gallery.

If you're aiming to travel with your camera regularly, you need to consider its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-PL1 offers outside dimensions of 115mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") having a weight of 334 grams (0.74 lbs) while the Sony A580 has dimensions of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") and a weight of 599 grams (1.32 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-PL1 vs Sony A580 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you are utilizing at the time. Underneath is the front view over all size comparison of the E-PL1 against the A580.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL1 and A580 is 86 and 64 respectively.

Sometimes, it can be tough to see the contrast in sensor dimensions only by viewing specs. The picture here may offer you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL1 and A580.

All in all, the two cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The E-PL1 having a smaller sensor will make getting shallow depth of field trickier and the Sony A580 will result in greater detail with its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop photographs somewhat more aggressively. The more aged E-PL1 will be behind when it comes to sensor tech.