Olympus E-PL1 vs Sony A65

Below, we will be analyzing the Olympus E-PL1 and Sony A65, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Olympus and Sony. There is a substantial difference among the sensor resolutions of the E-PL1 (12MP) and A65 (24MP) and the E-PL1 (Four Thirds) and A65 (APS-C) come with totally different sensor sizing.

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The E-PL1 was brought out 18 months before the A65 which makes the cameras a generation apart from each other. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A65 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving through a complete comparison, below is a simple summary of how the E-PL1 scores vs the A65 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

The following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus PEN E-PL1 & Sony SLT-A65. The entire galleries are provided at Olympus E-PL1 Gallery & Sony A65 Gallery.

If you're aiming to carry your camera frequently, you should factor its weight and volume. The Olympus E-PL1 provides physical dimensions of 115mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") having a weight of 334 grams (0.74 lbs) while the Sony A65 has sizing of 132mm x 97mm x 81mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 3.2") along with a weight of 622 grams (1.37 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-PL1 and Sony A65 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you are utilizing at that moment. Underneath is the front view proportions comparison of the E-PL1 vs the A65.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL1 and A65 is 86 and 64 respectively.

In many cases, its difficult to visualise the gap in sensor sizing just by checking out technical specs. The visual below should provide you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PL1 and A65.

As you can tell, both the cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The E-PL1 featuring a smaller sensor will make shooting shallow DOF more challenging and the Sony A65 will show extra detail having its extra 12MP. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop pictures much more aggressively. The older E-PL1 will be behind with regard to sensor tech.