Olympus E-PL1 vs Sony A35
86 Imaging
46 Features
43 Overall
44
69 Imaging
56 Features
70 Overall
61
Olympus E-PL1 vs Sony A35 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
- 2.7" Fixed Screen
- ISO 100 - 3200
- Sensor based Image Stabilization
- 1280 x 720 video
- Micro Four Thirds Mount
- 334g - 115 x 72 x 42mm
- Introduced May 2010
- Replacement is Olympus E-PL1s
(Full Review)
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Following is a complete assessment of the Olympus E-PL1 versus Sony A35, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by competitors Olympus and Sony. There is a sizable difference between the image resolutions of the E-PL1 (12MP) and A35 (16MP) and the E-PL1 (Four Thirds) and A35 (APS-C) have different sensor sizes.
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or banThe E-PL1 was brought out 16 months earlier than the A35 which makes them a generation away from each other. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A35 being a Compact SLR camera.
Before we go right into a in depth comparison, here is a brief summation of how the E-PL1 scores against the A35 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.
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Below is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus PEN E-PL1 & Sony SLT-A35. The entire galleries are viewable at Olympus E-PL1 Gallery & Sony A35 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL1 over the Sony A35
| E-PL1 | A35 |
|---|
Reasons to pick Sony A35 over the Olympus E-PL1
| A35 | E-PL1 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Introduced | September 2011 | May 2010 | More modern by 16 months | |
| Screen dimensions | 3" | 2.7" | Bigger screen (+0.3") | |
| Screen resolution | 921k | 230k | Crisper screen (+691k dot) |
Common features in the Olympus E-PL1 and Sony A35
| E-PL1 | A35 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Focus manually | Very exact focusing | |||
| Screen type | Fixed | Fixed | Fixed screen | |
| Selfie screen | Neither provides selfie screen | |||
| Touch friendly screen | Neither provides Touch friendly screen |
Olympus E-PL1 vs Sony A35 Physical Comparison
When you are planning to carry around your camera frequently, you are going to need to consider its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-PL1 provides external dimensions 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 A35 has dimensions of 124mm x 92mm x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3") with a weight of 415 grams (0.91 lbs).
Check out the Olympus E-PL1 versus Sony A35 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you are utilising at the time. Here is a front view dimensions comparison of the E-PL1 and the A35.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL1 and A35 is 86 and 69 respectively.
Olympus E-PL1 vs Sony A35 Sensor Comparison
In many cases, it's difficult to picture the gap between sensor sizes purely by reviewing a spec sheet. The picture here may give you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL1 and A35.
As you can see, both of those cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The E-PL1 because of its tinier sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field trickier and the Sony A35 will deliver more detail having its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop shots more aggressively. The more aged E-PL1 is going to be behind in sensor technology.
Olympus E-PL1 vs Sony A35 Screen and ViewFinder
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Olympus E-PL1 vs Sony A35 Specifications
| Olympus PEN E-PL1 | Sony SLT-A35 | |
|---|---|---|
| General Information | ||
| Company | Olympus | Sony |
| Model | Olympus PEN E-PL1 | Sony SLT-A35 |
| Type | Entry-Level Mirrorless | Entry-Level DSLR |
| Introduced | 2010-05-17 | 2011-09-20 |
| Physical type | Rangefinder-style mirrorless | Compact SLR |
| Sensor Information | ||
| Chip | Truepic V | Bionz |
| Sensor type | CMOS | CMOS |
| Sensor size | Four Thirds | APS-C |
| Sensor dimensions | 17.3 x 13mm | 23.5 x 15.6mm |
| Sensor surface area | 224.9mm² | 366.6mm² |
| Sensor resolution | 12 megapixels | 16 megapixels |
| Anti aliasing filter | ||
| Aspect ratio | 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 | 3:2 and 16:9 |
| Peak resolution | 4032 x 3024 | 4912 x 3264 |
| Highest native ISO | 3200 | 25600 |
| Lowest native ISO | 100 | 100 |
| RAW format | ||
| Autofocusing | ||
| Focus manually | ||
| Touch to focus | ||
| Continuous autofocus | ||
| Autofocus single | ||
| Autofocus tracking | ||
| Autofocus selectice | ||
| Autofocus center weighted | ||
| Autofocus multi area | ||
| Live view autofocus | ||
| Face detection focus | ||
| Contract detection focus | ||
| Phase detection focus | ||
| Number of focus points | 11 | 15 |
| Cross focus points | - | 3 |
| Lens | ||
| Lens mount | Micro Four Thirds | Sony/Minolta Alpha |
| Amount of lenses | 107 | 143 |
| Focal length multiplier | 2.1 | 1.5 |
| Screen | ||
| Screen type | Fixed Type | Fixed Type |
| Screen size | 2.7 inches | 3 inches |
| Resolution of screen | 230k dots | 921k dots |
| Selfie friendly | ||
| Liveview | ||
| Touch operation | ||
| Screen technology | HyperCrystal LCD AR (Anti-Reflective) coating | - |
| Viewfinder Information | ||
| Viewfinder type | Electronic (optional) | Electronic |
| Viewfinder resolution | - | 1,150k dots |
| Viewfinder coverage | - | 100 percent |
| Viewfinder magnification | - | 0.73x |
| Features | ||
| Min shutter speed | 60s | 30s |
| Max shutter speed | 1/2000s | 1/4000s |
| Continuous shutter rate | 3.0 frames per second | 6.0 frames per second |
| Shutter priority | ||
| Aperture priority | ||
| Expose Manually | ||
| Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
| Change white balance | ||
| Image stabilization | ||
| Integrated flash | ||
| Flash range | 10.00 m | 12.00 m |
| Flash settings | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless |
| External flash | ||
| AEB | ||
| WB bracketing | ||
| Max flash synchronize | 1/160s | 1/160s |
| Exposure | ||
| Multisegment | ||
| Average | ||
| Spot | ||
| Partial | ||
| AF area | ||
| Center weighted | ||
| Video features | ||
| Video resolutions | 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) | 1920 x 1080 (60, 29.97 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 640 x 424 (29.97 fps) |
| Highest video resolution | 1280x720 | 1920x1080 |
| Video file format | Motion JPEG | MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264 |
| Mic port | ||
| Headphone port | ||
| Connectivity | ||
| Wireless | None | None |
| Bluetooth | ||
| NFC | ||
| HDMI | ||
| USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
| GPS | None | None |
| Physical | ||
| Environmental sealing | ||
| Water proof | ||
| Dust proof | ||
| Shock proof | ||
| Crush proof | ||
| Freeze proof | ||
| Weight | 334 grams (0.74 pounds) | 415 grams (0.91 pounds) |
| Physical dimensions | 115 x 72 x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") | 124 x 92 x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3") |
| DXO scores | ||
| DXO Overall score | 54 | 74 |
| DXO Color Depth score | 21.5 | 23.3 |
| DXO Dynamic range score | 10.1 | 12.7 |
| DXO Low light score | 487 | 763 |
| Other | ||
| Battery life | 290 images | 440 images |
| Type of battery | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
| Battery model | BLS-1 | NP-FW50 |
| Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10 sec 3 or 5 images) |
| Time lapse shooting | ||
| Type of storage | SD/SDHC card | SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo |
| Card slots | Single | Single |
| Launch pricing | $288 | $598 |