Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony A7R III

Lets look a bit more in depth at the Olympus E-PL5 and Sony A7R III, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Pro Mirrorless by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. There exists a sizeable gap among the sensor resolutions of the E-PL5 (16MP) and A7R III (42MP) and the E-PL5 (Four Thirds) and A7R III (Full frame) feature different sensor dimensions.

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The E-PL5 was brought out 6 years prior to the A7R III which is a fairly large gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-PL5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A7R III being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting in to a complete comparison, below is a brief summation of how the E-PL5 scores vs the A7R III with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Here is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus PEN E-PL5 and Sony Alpha A7R III. The entire galleries are available at Olympus E-PL5 Gallery and Sony A7R III Gallery.

For those who are looking to travel with your camera, you will want to consider its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-PL5 comes with external dimensions of 111mm x 64mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") and a weight of 325 grams (0.72 lbs) whilst the Sony A7R III has measurements of 127mm x 96mm x 74mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.9") accompanied by a weight of 657 grams (1.45 lbs).

See the Olympus E-PL5 and Sony A7R III in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you have attached at that time. Underneath is the front view measurement comparison of the E-PL5 compared to the A7R III.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL5 and A7R III is 88 and 63 respectively.

More often than not, it is very tough to imagine the difference in sensor dimensions purely by looking through technical specs. The pic here will provide you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL5 and A7R III.

As you have seen, the 2 cameras offer different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The E-PL5 featuring a smaller sensor is going to make getting shallower DOF tougher and the Sony A7R III will result in greater detail having its extra 26MP. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop pictures a little more aggressively. The more aged E-PL5 will be disadvantaged in sensor tech.