Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony A100

Below is a in depth comparison of the Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony A100, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by rivals Olympus and Sony. The sensor resolution of the E-PL2 (12MP) and the A100 (10MP) is relatively close but the E-PL2 (Four Thirds) and A100 (APS-C) have totally different sensor size.

Photography Glossary

The E-PL2 was announced 4 years later than the A100 and that is a fairly big difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL2 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A100 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before delving straight to a full comparison, here is a brief overview of how the E-PL2 matches up versus the A100 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus PEN E-PL2 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A100. The whole galleries are provided at Olympus E-PL2 Gallery & Sony A100 Gallery.

When you are going to lug around your camera frequently, you should factor its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-PL2 has outside dimensions of 114mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") and a weight of 362 grams (0.80 lbs) while the Sony A100 has dimensions of 133mm x 95mm x 71mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 2.8") and a weight of 638 grams (1.41 lbs).

See the Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony A100 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you have during that time. Below is a front view size comparison of the E-PL2 versus the A100.

Looking at size and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL2 and A100 is 85 and 64 respectively.

In many cases, it is very hard to visualise the difference in sensor measurements merely by looking through a spec sheet. The visual below should give you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PL2 and A100.

Clearly, both of these cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-PL2 having a smaller sensor will make getting shallower DOF more challenging and the Olympus E-PL2 will provide you with more detail with its extra 2MP. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop photographs more aggressively. The newer E-PL2 will have an edge when it comes to sensor innovation.