Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony QX1

Lets take a more detailed look at the Olympus E-PL2 versus Sony QX1, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Lens-style by rivals Olympus and Sony. There exists a large gap among the image resolutions of the E-PL2 (12MP) and QX1 (20MP) and the E-PL2 (Four Thirds) and QX1 (APS-C) boast totally different sensor size.

Photography Glossary

The E-PL2 was manufactured 4 years earlier than the QX1 and that is a fairly serious difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL2 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony QX1 being a Lens-style camera.

Before getting into a comprehensive comparison, here is a short summary of how the E-PL2 scores against the QX1 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN E-PL2 & Sony Alpha QX1. The entire galleries are provided at Olympus E-PL2 Gallery & Sony QX1 Gallery.

In case you're intending to carry your camera, you're going to have to take into account its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-PL2 has got exterior dimensions of 114mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") and a weight of 362 grams (0.80 lbs) whilst the Sony QX1 has measurements of 74mm x 70mm x 53mm (2.9" x 2.8" x 2.1") having a weight of 216 grams (0.48 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-PL2 versus Sony QX1 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you use at that moment. Here is a front view dimension comparison of the E-PL2 vs the QX1.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL2 and QX1 is 85 and 90 respectively.

Quite often, it is tough to see the gap in sensor sizing only by viewing a spec sheet. The photograph here might give you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL2 and QX1.

As you can see, the 2 cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The E-PL2 due to its smaller sensor will make getting shallow DOF more challenging and the Sony QX1 will provide you with extra detail due to its extra 8MP. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop pics more aggressively. The older E-PL2 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.