Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony A100

Its time to take a more detailed look at the Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony A100, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. There is a sizeable difference among the sensor resolutions of the E-PL5 (16MP) and A100 (10MP) and the E-PL5 (Four Thirds) and A100 (APS-C) posses different sensor sizes.

Photography Glossary

The E-PL5 was announced 6 years later than the A100 and that is a fairly large gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-PL5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A100 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before we go into a comprehensive comparison, here is a short overview of how the E-PL5 matches up vs the A100 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

This is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus PEN E-PL5 and Sony Alpha DSLR-A100. The whole galleries are provided at Olympus E-PL5 Gallery and Sony A100 Gallery.

When you are intending to carry your camera regularly, you'll need to consider its weight and volume. The Olympus E-PL5 comes with outer dimensions of 111mm x 64mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") with a weight of 325 grams (0.72 lbs) and the Sony A100 has sizing of 133mm x 95mm x 71mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 2.8") with a weight of 638 grams (1.41 lbs).

See the Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony A100 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you have chosen during that time. Underneath is a front view scale comparison of the E-PL5 versus the A100.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL5 and A100 is 88 and 64 respectively.

Oftentimes, it can be tough to visualize the difference in sensor sizing only by going through a spec sheet. The visual underneath might offer you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL5 and A100.

As you can see, each of the cameras feature different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The E-PL5 having a smaller sensor is going to make getting shallower DOF more challenging and the Olympus E-PL5 will produce greater detail with its extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution will allow you to crop shots way more aggressively. The newer E-PL5 should have a benefit in sensor technology.