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Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony RX10 II

Portability
85
Imaging
48
Features
47
Overall
47
Olympus PEN E-PL2 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 II front
Portability
58
Imaging
52
Features
77
Overall
62

Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony RX10 II 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
  • Revealed February 2011
  • Old Model is Olympus E-PL1s
  • Newer Model is Olympus E-PL3
Sony RX10 II
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 125 - 12800 (Push to 25600)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • 24-200mm (F2.8) lens
  • 813g - 129 x 88 x 102mm
  • Announced June 2015
  • Succeeded the Sony RX10
  • Refreshed by Sony RX10 III
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Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony RX10 II Overview

In this article, we are contrasting the Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony RX10 II, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Large Sensor Superzoom by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. There is a big difference among the sensor resolutions of the E-PL2 (12MP) and RX10 II (20MP) and the E-PL2 (Four Thirds) and RX10 II (1") enjoy different sensor measurements.

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The E-PL2 was unveiled 5 years prior to the RX10 II which is a fairly big gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-PL2 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony RX10 II being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before going through a detailed comparison, below is a quick synopsis of how the E-PL2 matches up against the RX10 II when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL2 over the Sony RX10 II

 E-PL2 RX10 II 

Reasons to pick Sony RX10 II over the Olympus E-PL2

 RX10 II E-PL2 
AnnouncedJune 2015February 2011More modern by 52 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display resolution1229k460kClearer display (+769k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-PL2 and Sony RX10 II

 E-PL2 RX10 II 
Manually focus Dial precise focus
Display sizing3"3"Equivalent display measurements
Selfie screen Neither offers selfie screen
Touch friendly display Neither offers Touch friendly display

Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony RX10 II Physical Comparison

For anyone who is intending to carry around your camera regularly, you will need to think about its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-PL2 offers physical measurements of 114mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") having a weight of 362 grams (0.80 lbs) while the Sony RX10 II has proportions of 129mm x 88mm x 102mm (5.1" x 3.5" x 4.0") accompanied by a weight of 813 grams (1.79 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony RX10 II in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you have attached at the time. The following is the front view measurement comparison of the E-PL2 against the RX10 II.

Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony RX10 II size comparison

Considering size and weight, the portability score of the E-PL2 and RX10 II is 85 and 58 respectively.

Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony RX10 II top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony RX10 II Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, it is difficult to visualize the difference in sensor sizes only by viewing a spec sheet. The picture underneath might provide you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PL2 and RX10 II.

As you can see, each of these cameras offer different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The E-PL2 having a larger sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field less difficult and the Sony RX10 II will result in more detail having an extra 8 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also help you crop photos a little more aggressively. The more aged E-PL2 will be behind when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony RX10 II sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony RX10 II Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony RX10 II Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 Portrait photography factors
Sony RX10 II Portrait photography factors
60
focusing manually
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides face detection focusing
supports RAW files
megapixel count low (12MP)
71
you can focus manually
MP count good (20MP)
decent sensor size (1")
includes face detection focusing
supports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 Street photography features
Sony RX10 II Street photography features
73
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
no moving screen
72
screen tilts up and down
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor size (1")
supports RAW files
weather proof
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-PL2
Sports photography with Sony RX10 II
45
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides tracking autofocus
slow continuous shooting (3.0 fps)
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
bad battery pack (280 per charge)
lack of phase detect AF
68
quiet mode (1/32,000s)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
MP count good (20MP)
decent sensor size (1")
includes tracking autofocus
weather proof
doesn't have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-PL2
Travel photography with Sony RX10 II
51
built-in flash
does not have Timelapse recording
bad battery pack (280 CIPA)
megapixel count low (12MP)
does not posses selfie friendly screen
56
weather proof
MP count good (20MP)
built-in flash
decently wide (24mm)
doesn't have Timelapse mode
display isn't selfie friendly
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 Landscape photography advice
Sony RX10 II Landscape photography advice
61
focusing manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
megapixel count low (12MP)
bad battery pack (280 per charge)
does not have Timelapse recording
62
you can focus manually
decently wide (24mm)
good sized screen (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
MP count good (20MP)
decent sensor size (1")
supports RAW files
weather proof
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
doesn't have Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 Vlogging features
Sony RX10 II Vlogging features
29
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
provides face detection focusing
does not posses selfie friendly screen
low res video (1280 x 720 pixels)
does not have external microphone support
31
decently wide (24mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
includes face detection focusing
good video quality (3840 x 2160 pxls)
includes external microphone support
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
display isn't selfie friendly
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Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony RX10 II Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL2 and Sony RX10 II
 Olympus PEN E-PL2Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 II
General Information
Make Olympus Sony
Model Olympus PEN E-PL2 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 II
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Large Sensor Superzoom
Revealed 2011-02-11 2015-06-10
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless SLR-like (bridge)
Sensor Information
Chip Truepic V Bionz X
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 13.2 x 8.8mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 116.2mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 20 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4032 x 3024 5472 x 3648
Highest native ISO 6400 12800
Highest enhanced ISO - 25600
Min native ISO 100 125
RAW photos
Min enhanced ISO - 64
Autofocusing
Focus manually
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
Number of focus points 11 25
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 24-200mm (8.3x)
Maximal aperture - f/2.8
Macro focus range - 3cm
Amount of lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 2.7
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Tilting
Display sizing 3" 3"
Display resolution 460 thousand dots 1,229 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Display tech HyperCrystal LCD AR(Anti-Reflective) coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359 thousand dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.7x
Features
Min shutter speed 60s 30s
Max shutter speed 1/4000s 1/2000s
Max quiet shutter speed - 1/32000s
Continuous shutter rate 3.0fps 14.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 10.00 m 10.20 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, fill-flash, slow sync, rear sync, off
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Max flash synchronize 1/160s -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 3840 x 2160 (30p, 25p, 24p), 1920 x 1080 (60p, 60i, 24p) ,1440 x 1080 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p)
Highest video resolution 1280x720 3840x2160
Video file format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
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 proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 362 grams (0.80 lbs) 813 grams (1.79 lbs)
Dimensions 114 x 72 x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") 129 x 88 x 102mm (5.1" x 3.5" x 4.0")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 55 70
DXO Color Depth score 21.4 23.0
DXO Dynamic range score 10.2 12.6
DXO Low light score 573 531
Other
Battery life 280 pictures 400 pictures
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLS-5 NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, continuous)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo
Card slots One One
Price at release $0 $998