Olympus E-PL1s vs Sony A6500

Below, we will be evaluating the Olympus E-PL1s and Sony A6500, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Advanced Mirrorless by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. There is a large difference among the image resolutions of the E-PL1s (12MP) and A6500 (24MP) and the E-PL1s (Four Thirds) and A6500 (APS-C) possess different sensor size.

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The E-PL1s was unveiled 6 years before the A6500 and that is a fairly serious difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of the cameras come with the identical body type (Rangefinder-style mirrorless).

Before diving through a in depth comparison, below is a simple highlight of how the E-PL1s grades versus the A6500 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus PEN E-PL1s & Sony Alpha a6500. The full galleries are viewable at Olympus E-PL1s Gallery & Sony A6500 Gallery.

If you are intending to carry your camera, you should think about its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-PL1s features external dimensions of 115mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") along with a weight of 334 grams (0.74 lbs) whilst the Sony A6500 has measurements of 120mm x 67mm x 53mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 2.1") and a weight of 453 grams (1.00 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-PL1s and Sony A6500 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you are working with at that time. Here is the front view dimensions comparison of the E-PL1s against the A6500.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL1s and A6500 is 86 and 81 respectively.

Oftentimes, it is very tough to imagine the gap in sensor sizing just by seeing specs. The visual below should provide you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PL1s and A6500.

As you can plainly see, both of these cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The E-PL1s with its smaller sensor is going to make getting shallow DOF harder and the Sony A6500 will show greater detail having an extra 12 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also let you crop shots somewhat more aggressively. The older E-PL1s will be behind when it comes to sensor technology.