Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony W690
85 Imaging
47 Features
47 Overall
47


95 Imaging
39 Features
32 Overall
36
Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony W690 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
- 3" Fixed Screen
- ISO 100 - 6400
- Sensor based Image Stabilization
- 1280 x 720 video
- Micro Four Thirds Mount
- 362g - 114 x 72 x 42mm
- Launched February 2011
- Earlier Model is Olympus E-PL1s
- Newer Model is Olympus E-PL3
(Full Review)
- 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Display
- ISO 80 - 3200
- Optical Image Stabilization
- 1280 x 720 video
- 25-250mm (F3.3-5.9) lens
- 142g - 94 x 56 x 22mm
- Announced February 2012

Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony W690 Overview
The following is a thorough overview of the Olympus E-PL2 versus Sony W690, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Compact by competitors Olympus and Sony. There exists a noticeable gap among the image resolutions of the E-PL2 (12MP) and W690 (16MP) and the E-PL2 (Four Thirds) and W690 (1/2.3") enjoy totally different sensor sizing.

The E-PL2 was brought out 12 months before the W690 and they are of a similar age. Both the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-PL2 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony W690 being a Compact camera.
Before we go straight into a full comparison, below is a brief summation of how the E-PL2 matches up versus the W690 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony W690 Gallery
The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN E-PL2 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W690. The entire galleries are provided at Olympus E-PL2 Gallery & Sony W690 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL2 over the Sony W690
E-PL2 | W690 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Manual focus | ![]() | Dial precise focusing | ||
Display resolution | 460k | ![]() | 230k | Crisper display (+230k dot) |
Reasons to pick Sony W690 over the Olympus E-PL2
W690 | E-PL2 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Announced | February 2012 | ![]() | February 2011 | Newer by 12 months |
Common features in the Olympus E-PL2 and Sony W690
E-PL2 | W690 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Display type | Fixed | ![]() | Fixed | Fixed display |
Display sizing | 3" | ![]() | 3" | Equivalent display measurement |
Selfie screen | ![]() | No selfie screen | ||
Touch display | ![]() | No Touch display |
Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony W690 Physical Comparison
If you're going to travel with your camera regularly, you need to factor in its weight and size. The Olympus E-PL2 enjoys outer 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 W690 has specifications of 94mm x 56mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") having a weight of 142 grams (0.31 lbs).
Analyze the Olympus E-PL2 versus Sony W690 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you are using at the time. The following is the front view measurements comparison of the E-PL2 against the W690.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-PL2 and W690 is 85 and 95 respectively.

Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony W690 Sensor Comparison
Normally, it can be tough to envision the difference in sensor dimensions just by going through specifications. The pic below might provide you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL2 and W690.
Plainly, both of the cameras offer different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The E-PL2 due to its larger sensor will make shooting shallow DOF less difficult and the Sony W690 will provide extra detail having its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also allow you to crop pics a little more aggressively. The more aged E-PL2 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor technology.

Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony W690 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony W690 Specifications
Olympus PEN E-PL2 | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W690 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Company | Olympus | Sony |
Model type | Olympus PEN E-PL2 | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W690 |
Category | Entry-Level Mirrorless | Small Sensor Compact |
Launched | 2011-02-11 | 2012-02-28 |
Physical type | Rangefinder-style mirrorless | Compact |
Sensor Information | ||
Powered by | Truepic V | BIONZ |
Sensor type | CMOS | CCD |
Sensor size | Four Thirds | 1/2.3" |
Sensor dimensions | 17.3 x 13mm | 6.17 x 4.55mm |
Sensor area | 224.9mm² | 28.1mm² |
Sensor resolution | 12 megapixels | 16 megapixels |
Anti alias filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 4:3 | 4:3 and 16:9 |
Highest resolution | 4032 x 3024 | 4608 x 3456 |
Highest native ISO | 6400 | 3200 |
Minimum native ISO | 100 | 80 |
RAW files | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
Touch to focus | ||
Continuous autofocus | ||
Single autofocus | ||
Autofocus tracking | ||
Selective autofocus | ||
Center weighted autofocus | ||
Autofocus multi area | ||
Autofocus live view | ||
Face detection autofocus | ||
Contract detection autofocus | ||
Phase detection autofocus | ||
Total focus points | 11 | - |
Cross type focus points | - | - |
Lens | ||
Lens mount type | Micro Four Thirds | fixed lens |
Lens zoom range | - | 25-250mm (10.0x) |
Max aperture | - | f/3.3-5.9 |
Macro focusing range | - | 5cm |
Number of lenses | 107 | - |
Crop factor | 2.1 | 5.8 |
Screen | ||
Screen type | Fixed Type | Fixed Type |
Screen diagonal | 3" | 3" |
Resolution of screen | 460 thousand dots | 230 thousand dots |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch screen | ||
Screen technology | HyperCrystal LCD AR(Anti-Reflective) coating | ClearPhoto TFT LCD display |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder type | Electronic (optional) | None |
Features | ||
Lowest shutter speed | 60s | 30s |
Highest shutter speed | 1/4000s | 1/1600s |
Continuous shooting rate | 3.0 frames per sec | 1.0 frames per sec |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manually set exposure | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | - |
Set white balance | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Inbuilt flash | ||
Flash distance | 10.00 m | 3.30 m |
Flash settings | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) | Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync |
External flash | ||
AE bracketing | ||
White balance bracketing | ||
Highest 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) | 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) |
Highest video resolution | 1280x720 | 1280x720 |
Video file format | Motion JPEG | MPEG-4 |
Mic support | ||
Headphone support | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | None | None |
Bluetooth | ||
NFC | ||
HDMI | ||
USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
GPS | None | None |
Physical | ||
Environment sealing | ||
Water proofing | ||
Dust proofing | ||
Shock proofing | ||
Crush proofing | ||
Freeze proofing | ||
Weight | 362g (0.80 pounds) | 142g (0.31 pounds) |
Dimensions | 114 x 72 x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") | 94 x 56 x 22mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO All around rating | 55 | not tested |
DXO Color Depth rating | 21.4 | not tested |
DXO Dynamic range rating | 10.2 | not tested |
DXO Low light rating | 573 | not tested |
Other | ||
Battery life | 280 photos | 220 photos |
Type of battery | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
Battery ID | BLS-5 | NP-BN |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2) |
Time lapse shooting | ||
Type of storage | SD/SDHC | SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Duo/Memory Stick Pro Duo, Memory Stick Pro-HG Duo |
Card slots | 1 | 1 |
Cost at launch | $0 | $297 |