Olympus E-PL1 vs Sony A900

Lets look more in depth at the Olympus E-PL1 versus Sony A900, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Advanced DSLR by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. There exists a large gap among the sensor resolutions of the E-PL1 (12MP) and A900 (25MP) and the E-PL1 (Four Thirds) and A900 (Full frame) have totally different sensor dimensions.

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The E-PL1 was manufactured 20 months later than the A900 making them a generation apart from one another. The two cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-PL1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A900 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before delving into a full comparison, here is a concise summation of how the E-PL1 grades versus the A900 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Here is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN E-PL1 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A900. The entire galleries are provided at Olympus E-PL1 Gallery & Sony A900 Gallery.

For those who are planning to carry your camera frequently, you should factor in its weight and size. The Olympus E-PL1 has 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 A900 has specifications of 156mm x 117mm x 82mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 3.2") having a weight of 895 grams (1.97 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-PL1 versus Sony A900 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you have chosen at the time. The following is a front view overall size comparison of the E-PL1 and the A900.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL1 and A900 is 86 and 54 respectively.

More often than not, its tough to envision the gap in sensor sizing just by seeing specs. The photograph below will provide you a better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PL1 and A900.

All in all, each of the cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The E-PL1 because of its smaller sensor will make getting bokeh more challenging and the Sony A900 will produce greater detail due to its extra 13MP. Greater resolution will let you crop images a good deal more aggressively. The newer E-PL1 will have an advantage with regard to sensor innovation.