Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony RX100

Lets take a more detailed look at the Olympus E-PL2 versus Sony RX100, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Large Sensor Compact by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. There is a huge difference among the image resolutions of the E-PL2 (12MP) and RX100 (20MP) and the E-PL2 (Four Thirds) and RX100 (1") come with different sensor sizing.

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The E-PL2 was brought out 18 months before the RX100 making the cameras a generation apart from each other. Both of these cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-PL2 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony RX100 being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before delving in to a complete comparison, below is a short overview of how the E-PL2 matches up vs the RX100 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Following is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus PEN E-PL2 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100. The entire galleries are provided at Olympus E-PL2 Gallery and Sony RX100 Gallery.

For those who are aiming to carry your camera often, you will have to factor in its weight and volume. The Olympus E-PL2 features outer dimensions of 114mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") accompanied by a weight of 362 grams (0.80 lbs) and the Sony RX100 has sizing of 102mm x 58mm x 36mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.4") with a weight of 240 grams (0.53 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-PL2 versus Sony RX100 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you have during that time. Following is the front view measurement comparison of the E-PL2 vs the RX100.

Looking at size and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL2 and RX100 is 85 and 91 respectively.

Oftentimes, it can be hard to visualize the difference in sensor sizing only by going through specs. The photograph below should offer you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL2 and RX100.

As you can plainly see, both cameras offer different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-PL2 due to its larger sensor is going to make achieving bokeh less difficult and the Sony RX100 will produce more detail having its extra 8MP. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop pics a little more aggressively. The older E-PL2 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.