Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony WX30

Following is a thorough overview of the Olympus E-PL2 and Sony WX30, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Compact by competitors Olympus and Sony. There exists a noticeable gap between the resolutions of the E-PL2 (12MP) and WX30 (16MP) and the E-PL2 (Four Thirds) and WX30 (1/2.3") have totally different sensor size.

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The E-PL2 was announced 5 months prior to the WX30 so they are of a similar age. Each of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-PL2 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony WX30 being a Compact camera.

Before going into a more detailed comparison, here is a simple highlight of how the E-PL2 grades versus the WX30 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN E-PL2 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX30. The whole galleries are available at Olympus E-PL2 Gallery & Sony WX30 Gallery.

In case you're aiming to carry around your camera often, you'll need to consider its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-PL2 enjoys outer 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 WX30 has dimensions of 92mm x 52mm x 19mm (3.6" x 2.0" x 0.7") accompanied by a weight of 117 grams (0.26 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-PL2 and Sony WX30 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you are employing at that time. Here is a front view dimensions comparison of the E-PL2 vs the WX30.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-PL2 and WX30 is 85 and 96 respectively.

Sometimes, it is very tough to visualise the difference between sensor sizes just by reading through a spec sheet. The pic underneath may offer you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL2 and WX30.

Clearly, both cameras come with different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The E-PL2 with its larger sensor will make achieving shallower DOF simpler and the Sony WX30 will give you greater detail with its extra 4MP. Greater resolution will also help you crop images a good deal more aggressively.