Olympus E-PL1s vs Sony A35

Here is a extensive assessment of the Olympus E-PL1s and Sony A35, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by rivals Olympus and Sony. There exists a big gap between the resolutions of the E-PL1s (12MP) and A35 (16MP) and the E-PL1s (Four Thirds) and A35 (APS-C) provide different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The E-PL1s was announced 10 months prior to the A35 which means that they are both of a similar generation. Both cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL1s being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A35 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before getting right into a thorough comparison, here is a short introduction of how the E-PL1s matches up vs the A35 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN E-PL1s and Sony SLT-A35. The whole galleries are viewable at Olympus E-PL1s Gallery and Sony A35 Gallery.

For those who are intending to carry your camera frequently, you'll have to consider its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-PL1s provides outer dimensions of 115mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") with a weight of 334 grams (0.74 lbs) while the Sony A35 has dimensions of 124mm x 92mm x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3") having a weight of 415 grams (0.91 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-PL1s and Sony A35 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you are utilising during that time. Following is a front view measurement comparison of the E-PL1s vs the A35.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-PL1s and A35 is 86 and 69 respectively.

Typically, its hard to picture the contrast between sensor sizing merely by going over specs. The photograph underneath might give you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL1s and A35.

As you can plainly see, both of the cameras have different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-PL1s using its tinier sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF more difficult and the Sony A35 will offer greater detail with its extra 4MP. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop photos a bit more aggressively. The older E-PL1s is going to be behind with regard to sensor tech.