Olympus E-PL1s vs Sony A55

Following is a comprehensive analysis of the Olympus E-PL1s vs Sony A55, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Olympus and Sony. There exists a large gap between the sensor resolutions of the E-PL1s (12MP) and A55 (16MP) and the E-PL1s (Four Thirds) and A55 (APS-C) boast different sensor measurements.

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The E-PL1s was launched 3 months after the A55 and they are of a similar age. Both the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-PL1s being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A55 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before going straight to a complete comparison, here is a brief summary of how the E-PL1s matches up against the A55 for portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN E-PL1s & Sony SLT-A55. The complete galleries are viewable at Olympus E-PL1s Gallery & Sony A55 Gallery.

For anyone who is looking to carry around your camera frequently, you should factor in its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-PL1s enjoys physical dimensions of 115mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") and a weight of 334 grams (0.74 lbs) while the Sony A55 has measurements of 124mm x 92mm x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3") with a weight of 500 grams (1.10 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-PL1s vs Sony A55 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you choose at the time. Following is a front view dimensions comparison of the E-PL1s versus the A55.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL1s and A55 is 86 and 67 respectively.

Sometimes, it is hard to imagine the gap between sensor sizes only by checking a spec sheet. The picture here might provide you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL1s and A55.

Clearly, the two cameras feature different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The E-PL1s due to its tinier sensor is going to make achieving shallow depth of field more challenging and the Sony A55 will give you greater detail utilizing its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop photos way more aggressively.