Olympus E-PL1 vs Sony QX30

Here, we will be analyzing the Olympus E-PL1 versus Sony QX30, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Lens-style by brands Olympus and Sony. There is a sizeable difference among the sensor resolutions of the E-PL1 (12MP) and QX30 (20MP) and the E-PL1 (Four Thirds) and QX30 (1/2.3") provide different sensor dimensions.

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The E-PL1 was launched 5 years prior to the QX30 and that is a fairly large gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-PL1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony QX30 being a Lens-style camera.

Before going into a detailed comparison, here is a brief highlight of how the E-PL1 scores vs the QX30 for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus PEN E-PL1 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-QX30. The complete galleries are viewable at Olympus E-PL1 Gallery and Sony QX30 Gallery.

When you are going to lug around your camera regularly, you have to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-PL1 provides physical dimensions of 115mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") with a weight of 334 grams (0.74 lbs) and the Sony QX30 has dimensions of 68mm x 65mm x 58mm (2.7" x 2.6" x 2.3") with a weight of 193 grams (0.43 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-PL1 versus Sony QX30 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you have chosen at the time. The following is a front view dimensions comparison of the E-PL1 against the QX30.

Using size and weight, the portability score of the E-PL1 and QX30 is 86 and 91 respectively.

Usually, it is very tough to imagine the difference in sensor measurements simply by seeing specifications. The graphic here should give you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PL1 and QX30.

Plainly, each of the cameras come with different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-PL1 featuring a bigger sensor is going to make achieving shallower depth of field less difficult and the Sony QX30 will produce greater detail utilizing its extra 8 Megapixels. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop pictures a good deal more aggressively. The older E-PL1 will be disadvantaged in sensor technology.