Olympus E-PL1 vs Sony A700

Below, we are evaluating the Olympus E-PL1 and Sony A700, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Advanced DSLR by companies Olympus and Sony. The image resolution of the E-PL1 (12MP) and the A700 (12MP) is very well matched but the E-PL1 (Four Thirds) and A700 (APS-C) come with different sensor dimensions.

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The E-PL1 was unveiled 2 years after the A700 which is quite a serious difference as far as technology is concerned. The two cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A700 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before delving in to a comprehensive comparison, below is a concise view of how the E-PL1 scores against the A700 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

This is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus PEN E-PL1 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A700. The full galleries are provided at Olympus E-PL1 Gallery & Sony A700 Gallery.

If you're intending to carry around your camera, you will need to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-PL1 features exterior measurements of 115mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") and a weight of 334 grams (0.74 lbs) while the Sony A700 has dimensions of 142mm x 105mm x 80mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.1") along with a weight of 768 grams (1.69 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-PL1 and Sony A700 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you have chosen at that moment. Following is the front view sizing comparison of the E-PL1 and the A700.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL1 and A700 is 86 and 58 respectively.

Typically, its hard to imagine the difference between sensor sizes just by looking at specs. The picture here might provide you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-PL1 and A700.

As you can plainly see, each of these cameras posses the exact same megapixel count but different sensor sizes. The E-PL1 has got the tinier sensor which is going to make getting shallower depth of field harder. The younger E-PL1 should have an edge when it comes to sensor innovation.