Olympus E-PL1s vs Sony A700

Below, we are matching up the Olympus E-PL1s versus Sony A700, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Advanced DSLR by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. The resolution of the E-PL1s (12MP) and the A700 (12MP) is fairly well matched but the E-PL1s (Four Thirds) and A700 (APS-C) possess totally different sensor size.

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The E-PL1s was unveiled 2 years after the A700 which is quite a sizable gap as far as technology is concerned. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL1s being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A700 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before delving through a step-by-step comparison, below is a brief highlight of how the E-PL1s scores against the A700 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN E-PL1s and Sony Alpha DSLR-A700. The full galleries are available at Olympus E-PL1s Gallery and Sony A700 Gallery.

When you are planning to travel with your camera frequently, you will want to consider its weight and size. The Olympus E-PL1s provides external dimensions of 115mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") and a weight of 334 grams (0.74 lbs) whilst the Sony A700 has specifications of 142mm x 105mm x 80mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.1") having a weight of 768 grams (1.69 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-PL1s versus Sony A700 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you are working with during that time. Following is the front view physical size comparison of the E-PL1s versus the A700.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-PL1s and A700 is 86 and 58 respectively.

More often than not, it's hard to envision the contrast between sensor dimensions purely by reading through specs. The picture here may provide you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL1s and A700.

All in all, both of the cameras posses the exact same megapixel count but not the same sensor dimensions. The E-PL1s provides the tinier sensor which will make getting shallow DOF harder. The newer E-PL1s is going to have an edge in sensor technology.