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Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony RX100 II

Portability
85
Imaging
48
Features
47
Overall
47
Olympus PEN E-PL2 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 II front
Portability
89
Imaging
51
Features
74
Overall
60

Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony RX100 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
  • Introduced February 2011
  • Superseded the Olympus E-PL1s
  • Replacement is Olympus E-PL3
Sony RX100 II
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 160 - 12800 (Raise to 25600)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 28-100mm (F1.8-4.9) lens
  • 281g - 102 x 58 x 38mm
  • Announced June 2013
  • Previous Model is Sony RX100
  • Renewed by Sony RX100 III
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Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony RX100 II Overview

The following is a extensive assessment of the Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony RX100 II, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Large Sensor Compact by rivals Olympus and Sony. There is a significant difference between the sensor resolutions of the E-PL2 (12MP) and RX100 II (20MP) and the E-PL2 (Four Thirds) and RX100 II (1") feature different sensor size.

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The E-PL2 was manufactured 3 years before the RX100 II which is quite a sizable gap as far as tech is concerned. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL2 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony RX100 II being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before getting in to a detailed comparison, below is a concise overview of how the E-PL2 matches up against the RX100 II in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL2 over the Sony RX100 II

 E-PL2 RX100 II 

Reasons to pick Sony RX100 II over the Olympus E-PL2

 RX100 II E-PL2 
AnnouncedJune 2013February 2011Newer by 28 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution1229k460kClearer screen (+769k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-PL2 and Sony RX100 II

 E-PL2 RX100 II 
Focus manually More accurate focusing
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen size
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen
Touch screen Neither features Touch screen

Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony RX100 II Physical Comparison

If you are intending to travel with your camera regularly, you'll have to factor in its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-PL2 enjoys external dimensions of 114mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") having a weight of 362 grams (0.80 lbs) whilst the Sony RX100 II has proportions of 102mm x 58mm x 38mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.5") with a weight of 281 grams (0.62 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony RX100 II in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you are utilizing during that time. Here is the front view overall size comparison of the E-PL2 and the RX100 II.

Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony RX100 II size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the E-PL2 and RX100 II is 85 and 89 respectively.

Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony RX100 II top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony RX100 II Sensor Comparison

In many cases, its tough to picture the difference between sensor dimensions just by reading through technical specs. The picture below will give you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PL2 and RX100 II.

As you can tell, both cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The E-PL2 featuring a bigger sensor is going to make getting bokeh simpler and the Sony RX100 II will give more detail due to its extra 8 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also let you crop photographs much more aggressively. The more aged E-PL2 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony RX100 II sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony RX100 II Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony RX100 II Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 Portrait photography factors
Sony RX100 II Portrait photography factors
60
you can focus manually
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
has face detect autofocus
delivers RAW files
MP count low (12 megapixels)
70
manual focus
above average flash sync speed (1/2,000s)
megapixel count good (20 megapixels)
decent sensor size (1")
features face detection focusing
supports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 Street photography advice
Sony RX100 II Street photography advice
73
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
screen is fixed
85
screen tilts up and down
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor size (1")
supports RAW formats
lighter than others (281g)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 Sports photography details
Sony RX100 II Sports photography details
45
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
has tracking focus
continuous shooting slow (3.0 frames/s)
MP count low (12 megapixels)
not so great battery life (280 CIPA)
has no phase detect autofocus
67
built in image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count good (20 megapixels)
decent sensor size (1")
features tracking autofocus
better than average battery pack (350 CIPA)
does not have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 Travel photography details
Sony RX100 II Travel photography details
51
built-in flash
missing Time Lapse recording
not so great battery life (280 per charge)
MP count low (12 megapixels)
screen isn't selfie friendly
80
better than average battery pack (350 per charge)
lighter than others (281g)
megapixel count good (20 megapixels)
built-in flash
decently wide (28mm)
good maximum aperture (f1.8)
display is not selfie friendly
Photography Glossary

Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 Landscape photography information
Sony RX100 II Landscape photography information
61
you can focus manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a decent size (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
MP count low (12MP)
not so great battery life (280 shots)
missing Time Lapse recording
74
manual focus
decently wide (28mm)
good maximum aperture (f1.8)
nice screen size (3")
built in image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count good (20MP)
decent sensor size (1")
supports RAW formats
better than average battery pack (350 per charge)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 as a Vlogging camera
Sony RX100 II as a Vlogging camera
29
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
has face detect autofocus
screen isn't selfie friendly
low res video (1280 x 720 pxls)
missing mic port
37
decently wide (28mm)
good maximum aperture (f1.8)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
features face detection focusing
high video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than others (281 grams)
display is not selfie friendly
missing external microphone jack
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Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony RX100 II Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL2 and Sony RX100 II
 Olympus PEN E-PL2Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 II
General Information
Make Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus PEN E-PL2 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 II
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Large Sensor Compact
Introduced 2011-02-11 2013-06-27
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Large Sensor Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by Truepic V -
Sensor type CMOS 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 12MP 20MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 4032 x 3024 5472 x 3648
Max native ISO 6400 12800
Max enhanced ISO - 25600
Lowest native ISO 100 160
RAW support
Lowest enhanced ISO - 100
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points 11 25
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 28-100mm (3.6x)
Maximum aperture - f/1.8-4.9
Macro focusing distance - 5cm
Number of lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 2.7
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Tilting
Display diagonal 3" 3"
Display resolution 460k dot 1,229k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Display tech HyperCrystal LCD AR(Anti-Reflective) coating Xtra Fine WhiteMagic TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) Electronic (optional)
Features
Min shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Max shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/2000 secs
Continuous shutter speed 3.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 10.00 m 15.00 m (ISO Auto (W))
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Max flash sync 1/160 secs 1/2000 secs
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video file format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone input
Headphone input
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 seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 362g (0.80 lbs) 281g (0.62 lbs)
Dimensions 114 x 72 x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") 102 x 58 x 38mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.5")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 55 67
DXO Color Depth rating 21.4 22.5
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.2 12.4
DXO Low light rating 573 483
Other
Battery life 280 images 350 images
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLS-5 NP-BX1
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (10 sec. / 2 sec. / Self-portrait One-person/ Self-portrait Two-person/ Self timer Continuous (3 or 5 shots))
Time lapse feature With downloadable app
Type of storage SD/SDHC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots One One
Cost at release $0 $598