Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony A99
85 Imaging
47 Features
47 Overall
47


57 Imaging
69 Features
88 Overall
76
Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony A99 Key Specs
(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
(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

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.

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.

Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony A99 Gallery
The following is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus PEN E-PL2 and Sony SLT-A99. The complete galleries are viewable at Olympus E-PL2 Gallery and Sony A99 Gallery.
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 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Revealed | December 2012 | ![]() | February 2011 | More modern by 22 months |
Display type | Fully Articulated | ![]() | Fixed | Fully Articulating display |
Display resolution | 1229k | ![]() | 460k | Crisper 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 dimensions | 3" | ![]() | 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.
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.

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 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 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony A99 Specifications
Olympus PEN E-PL2 | Sony 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 |