Olympus E-PL1 vs Sony WX70

Lets look a little more in depth at the Olympus E-PL1 versus Sony WX70, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Compact by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. There is a sizeable difference among the sensor resolutions of the E-PL1 (12MP) and WX70 (16MP) and the E-PL1 (Four Thirds) and WX70 (1/2.3") offer totally different sensor size.

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The E-PL1 was manufactured 20 months earlier than the WX70 making them a generation away from each other. Both cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-PL1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony WX70 being a Compact camera.

Before going right into a more detailed comparison, here is a simple synopsis of how the E-PL1 grades versus the WX70 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN E-PL1 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX70. The entire galleries are viewable at Olympus E-PL1 Gallery and Sony WX70 Gallery.

For anyone who is intending to carry around your camera frequently, you will need to take into account its weight and volume. The Olympus E-PL1 provides 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) whilst the Sony WX70 has sizing of 92mm x 52mm x 19mm (3.6" x 2.0" x 0.7") having a weight of 114 grams (0.25 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-PL1 versus Sony WX70 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you are employing at that moment. Underneath is a front view dimension comparison of the E-PL1 versus the WX70.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the E-PL1 and WX70 is 86 and 97 respectively.

Generally, its difficult to visualise the contrast in sensor sizes only by viewing a spec sheet. The image underneath may offer you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PL1 and WX70.

Clearly, both cameras feature different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The E-PL1 because of its larger sensor will make achieving shallow depth of field less difficult and the Sony WX70 will render more detail due to its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also make it easier to crop pics way more aggressively. The more aged E-PL1 will be disadvantaged in sensor technology.