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Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony A9

Portability
85
Imaging
48
Features
47
Overall
47
Olympus PEN E-PL2 front
 
Sony Alpha A9 front
Portability
65
Imaging
73
Features
93
Overall
81

Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony A9 Key Specs

Olympus E-PL2
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 362g - 114 x 72 x 42mm
  • Released February 2011
  • Replaced the Olympus E-PL1s
  • Replacement is Olympus E-PL3
Sony A9
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 51200 (Boost to 204800)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 673g - 127 x 96 x 63mm
  • Launched April 2017
  • Updated by Sony A9 II
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Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony A9 Overview

Its time to look a bit more closely at the Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony A9, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Pro Mirrorless by competitors Olympus and Sony. There exists a huge gap between the image resolutions of the E-PL2 (12MP) and A9 (24MP) and the E-PL2 (Four Thirds) and A9 (Full frame) posses different sensor dimensions.

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The E-PL2 was unveiled 7 years earlier than the A9 and that is quite a significant gap as far as technology is concerned. Both the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL2 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A9 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before going into a full comparison, here is a short introduction of how the E-PL2 grades vs the A9 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL2 over the Sony A9

 E-PL2 A9 

Reasons to pick Sony A9 over the Olympus E-PL2

 A9 E-PL2 
LaunchedApril 2017February 2011More recent by 75 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution1440k460kClearer screen (+980k dot)
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-PL2 and Sony A9

 E-PL2 A9 
Focus manually Dial exact focus
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen sizing
Selfie screen Lacking selfie screen

Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony A9 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is going to lug around your camera often, you will need to take into account its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-PL2 enjoys physical dimensions of 114mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") and a weight of 362 grams (0.80 lbs) and the Sony A9 has proportions of 127mm x 96mm x 63mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.5") accompanied by a weight of 673 grams (1.48 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony A9 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you are utilizing at that time. Below is a front view scale comparison of the E-PL2 versus the A9.

Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony A9 size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL2 and A9 is 85 and 65 respectively.

Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony A9 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony A9 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it can be tough to picture the difference between sensor measurements simply by reading technical specs. The graphic below will provide you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PL2 and A9.

As you have seen, each of these cameras have different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-PL2 using its tinier sensor is going to make achieving bokeh more difficult and the Sony A9 will offer you more detail having an extra 12MP. Higher resolution will also help you crop photographs a bit more aggressively. The older E-PL2 is going to be behind with regard to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony A9 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony A9 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony A9 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-PL2
Portrait photography with Sony A9
60
you can focus manually
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports face detection focusing
supports RAW files
resolution not great (12MP)
83
you can focus manually
good resolution (24 megapixels)
great sensor size (Full frame)
provides face detection focusing
saves RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-PL2
Street photography with Sony A9
73
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
no moving screen
79
screen tilts up and down
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
great sensor size (Full frame)
saves RAW formats
supports touch to focus
weather sealing
great ISO range (51,200)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 Sports photography info
Sony A9 Sports photography info
45
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports tracking autofocus
slow frames per second (3.0 frames per second)
resolution not great (12MP)
terrible battery pack (280 shots)
lack of phase detect AF
86
high shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
quiet shooting (1/32,000 seconds)
fast shooting (20.0 frames/s)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good resolution (24MP)
great sensor size (Full frame)
provides tracking autofocus
weather sealing
good battery (650 per charge)
supports phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 Travel photography details
Sony A9 Travel photography details
51
flash built-in
no Timelapse recording
terrible battery pack (280 CIPA)
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
does not have selfie friendly display
73
good battery (650 shots)
weather sealing
supports bluetooth
supports touch to focus
good resolution (24MP)
display is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 Landscape photography highlights
Sony A9 Landscape photography highlights
61
you can focus manually
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
resolution not great (12MP)
terrible battery pack (280 CIPA)
no Timelapse recording
85
you can focus manually
interchangeable lenses (Sony E mount)
screen is a good size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good resolution (24 megapixels)
great sensor size (Full frame)
great ISO range (51,200)
saves RAW formats
weather sealing
good battery (650 CIPA)
2 card slots
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 Vlogging advice
Sony A9 Vlogging advice
29
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
supports face detection focusing
does not have selfie friendly display
low quality video (1280 x 720 resolution)
no external microphone jack
36
screen is touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
provides face detection focusing
video resolution high (3840 x 2160 pxls)
comes with external microphone support
display is not selfie friendly
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Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony A9 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL2 and Sony A9
 Olympus PEN E-PL2Sony Alpha A9
General Information
Make Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus PEN E-PL2 Sony Alpha A9
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Pro Mirrorless
Released 2011-02-11 2017-04-19
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Powered by Truepic V BIONZ X
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Full frame
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 35.6 x 23.8mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 847.3mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 24MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4032 x 3024 6000 x 4000
Highest native ISO 6400 51200
Highest boosted ISO - 204800
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW pictures
Lowest boosted ISO - 50
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 11 693
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds Sony E
Number of lenses 107 121
Crop factor 2.1 1
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Tilting
Display size 3" 3"
Display resolution 460 thousand dots 1,440 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Display tech HyperCrystal LCD AR(Anti-Reflective) coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 3,686 thousand dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.78x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60s 30s
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000s 1/8000s
Maximum quiet shutter speed - 1/32000s
Continuous shooting rate 3.0fps 20.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 10.00 m no built-in flash
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Flash off, Autoflash, Fill-flash, Slow Sync., Rear Sync., Red-eye reduction, Wireless, Hi-speed sync
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/160s -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) -
Highest video resolution 1280x720 3840x2160
Video data format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 362 gr (0.80 pounds) 673 gr (1.48 pounds)
Physical dimensions 114 x 72 x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") 127 x 96 x 63mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.5")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 55 92
DXO Color Depth rating 21.4 24.9
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.2 13.3
DXO Low light rating 573 3517
Other
Battery life 280 images 650 images
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLS-5 NP-FZ100
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2, 5, 10 secs + continuous)
Time lapse feature
Storage type SD/SDHC Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC slots (UHS-II compatible)
Card slots One Two
Pricing at launch $0 $4,498