Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony A200

Let's look closer at the Olympus E-PL2 and Sony A200, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by rivals Olympus and Sony. The image resolution of the E-PL2 (12MP) and the A200 (10MP) is fairly similar but the E-PL2 (Four Thirds) and A200 (APS-C) boast totally different sensor sizes.

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The E-PL2 was brought out 2 years later than the A200 and that is quite a significant gap as far as technology is concerned. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL2 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A200 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before going into a more detailed comparison, here is a quick summation of how the E-PL2 scores versus the A200 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN E-PL2 and Sony Alpha DSLR-A200. The entire galleries are provided at Olympus E-PL2 Gallery and Sony A200 Gallery.

If you're going to lug around your camera often, you should factor its weight and volume. The Olympus E-PL2 offers outside dimensions of 114mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") along with a weight of 362 grams (0.80 lbs) and the Sony A200 has sizing of 131mm x 99mm x 71mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 2.8") along with a weight of 572 grams (1.26 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-PL2 and Sony A200 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you have chosen at that time. The following is a front view dimension comparison of the E-PL2 and the A200.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL2 and A200 is 85 and 66 respectively.

More often than not, its tough to visualise the difference between sensor measurements only by reviewing specifications. The photograph underneath might give you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PL2 and A200.

Plainly, both the cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-PL2 featuring a tinier sensor will make getting shallow DOF more difficult and the Olympus E-PL2 will offer more detail having its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also allow you to crop pics a bit more aggressively. The newer E-PL2 is going to have a benefit with regard to sensor technology.