Clicky

Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony A99

Portability
85
Imaging
47
Features
47
Overall
47
Olympus PEN E-PL2 front
 
Sony SLT-A99 front
Portability
57
Imaging
69
Features
88
Overall
76

Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony A99 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
  • Launched February 2011
  • Succeeded the Olympus E-PL1s
  • New Model is Olympus E-PL3
Sony A99
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 812g - 147 x 111 x 78mm
  • Revealed December 2012
  • Old Model is Sony A900
  • New Model is Sony A99 II
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony A99 Overview

Following is a extended overview of the Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony A99, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Advanced DSLR by competitors Olympus and Sony. There is a significant difference between the sensor resolutions of the E-PL2 (12MP) and A99 (24MP) and the E-PL2 (Four Thirds) and A99 (Full frame) posses totally different sensor measurements.

President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

The E-PL2 was launched 22 months prior to the A99 making them a generation away from each other. Both cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL2 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A99 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before getting into a in-depth comparison, here is a brief summation of how the E-PL2 matches up against the A99 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Photography Glossary

				

Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL2 over the Sony A99

 E-PL2 A99 

Reasons to pick Sony A99 over the Olympus E-PL2

 A99 E-PL2 
RevealedDecember 2012February 2011More modern by 22 months
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Display resolution1229k460kCrisper display (+769k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies

Common features in the Olympus E-PL2 and Sony A99

 E-PL2 A99 
Focus manually More exact focusing
Display dimensions3"3"Equal display measurements
Touch display Lacking Touch display

Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony A99 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is going to carry around your camera often, you are going to need to think about its weight and size. The Olympus E-PL2 enjoys outside dimensions of 114mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") along with a weight of 362 grams (0.80 lbs) whilst the Sony A99 has specifications of 147mm x 111mm x 78mm (5.8" x 4.4" x 3.1") accompanied by a weight of 812 grams (1.79 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony A99 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 vary depending on the lens you select during that time. Underneath is a front view proportions comparison of the E-PL2 and the A99.

Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony A99 size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL2 and A99 is 85 and 57 respectively.

Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony A99 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony A99 Sensor Comparison

In many cases, its difficult to envision the difference between sensor sizes simply by looking at technical specs. The pic here may provide you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PL2 and A99.

As you can tell, each of the cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The E-PL2 due to its tinier sensor will make achieving shallower depth of field trickier and the Sony A99 will resolve greater detail utilizing its extra 12MP. Greater resolution will also make it easier to crop pics more aggressively. The more aged E-PL2 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor technology.

Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony A99 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony A99 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony A99 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 as a Portrait photography camera
Sony A99 as a Portrait photography camera
60
has manual focus
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
provides face detect autofocus
delivers RAW files
MP count low (12 megapixels)
81
focusing manually
good resolution (24MP)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
features face detect focus
exports RAW files
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 Street photography details
Sony A99 Street photography details
73
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
no articulating screen
75
screen can move to multiple angles
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
exports RAW files
environment proofing
above average ISO range (25,600)
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-PL2
Sports photography with Sony A99
44
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
provides tracking focus
slow frames per second (3.0 frames/s)
MP count low (12MP)
low battery life (280 shots)
has no phase detect autofocus
78
high shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good resolution (24 megapixels)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
features tracking focus
environment proofing
sensor has phase detect auto focus
terrible battery power (500 shots)
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 as a Travel photography camera
Sony A99 as a Travel photography camera
51
has built in flash
does not have Timelapse recording
low battery life (280 CIPA)
MP count low (12 megapixels)
does not have a selfie friendly screen
60
environment proofing
good resolution (24MP)
selfie friendly display
lack of Time Lapse function
terrible battery power (500 per charge)
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-PL2
Landscape photography with Sony A99
60
has manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is decent (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
MP count low (12MP)
low battery life (280 per charge)
does not have Timelapse recording
74
focusing manually
switch lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good resolution (24 megapixels)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
above average ISO range (25,600)
exports RAW files
environment proofing
two card slots
terrible battery power (500 shots)
lack of Time Lapse function
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 Vlogging factors
Sony A99 Vlogging factors
29
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
provides face detect autofocus
does not have a selfie friendly screen
video resolution low (1280 x 720 pixels)
does not have microphone support
76
selfie friendly display
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
features face detect focus
video res high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
includes mic socket
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony A99 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL2 and Sony A99
 Olympus PEN E-PL2Sony SLT-A99
General Information
Make Olympus Sony
Model Olympus PEN E-PL2 Sony SLT-A99
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Advanced DSLR
Launched 2011-02-11 2012-12-12
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Truepic V Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Full frame
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 35.8 x 23.8mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 852.0mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 24 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4032 x 3024 6000 x 4000
Max native ISO 6400 25600
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW format
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Number of focus points 11 19
Cross focus points - 11
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds Sony/Minolta Alpha
Total lenses 107 143
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Display sizing 3 inches 3 inches
Display resolution 460k dots 1,229k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Display technology HyperCrystal LCD AR(Anti-Reflective) coating TFT Xtra Fine color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359k dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.71x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/8000 secs
Continuous shooting rate 3.0 frames per sec 10.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 10.00 m no built-in flash
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/160 secs 1/250 secs
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60, 24 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 640 x 424 (29.97 fps)
Max video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video file format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 362g (0.80 pounds) 812g (1.79 pounds)
Physical dimensions 114 x 72 x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") 147 x 111 x 78mm (5.8" x 4.4" x 3.1")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 55 89
DXO Color Depth score 21.4 25.0
DXO Dynamic range score 10.2 14.0
DXO Low light score 573 1555
Other
Battery life 280 photographs 500 photographs
Battery type Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLS-5 NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage type SD/SDHC Memory Stick PRO Duo/Pro-HG Duo; SD, SDHC and SDXC
Card slots Single Two
Cost at launch $0 $1,998