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Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony A100

Portability
88
Imaging
52
Features
72
Overall
60
Olympus PEN E-PL5 front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A100 front
Portability
64
Imaging
48
Features
38
Overall
44

Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony A100 Key Specs

Olympus E-PL5
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 325g - 111 x 64 x 38mm
  • Announced September 2012
Sony A100
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 1600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 638g - 133 x 95 x 71mm
  • Revealed July 2006
  • Older Model is Konica Minolta 5D
  • New Model is Sony A550
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Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony A100 Overview

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.

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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.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL5 over the Sony A100

 E-PL5 A100 
RevealedSeptember 2012July 2006Fresher by 75 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen size3"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.5")
Screen resolution460k230kSharper screen (+230k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Sony A100 over the Olympus E-PL5

 A100 E-PL5 

Common features in the Olympus E-PL5 and Sony A100

 E-PL5 A100 
Focus manually More accurate focus

Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony A100 Physical Comparison

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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony A100 size comparison

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

Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony A100 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony A100 Sensor Comparison

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.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony A100 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony A100 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony A100 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Portrait photography features
Sony A100 Portrait photography features
71
has manual focus
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
offers face detect focus
supports RAW formats
52
you can focus manually
good sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW files
does not have liveview
megapixel count low (10 megapixels)
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 as a Street photography camera
Sony A100 as a Street photography camera
85
screen tilts up and down
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
comes with touch to focus
good high ISO (25,600)
64
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW files
fixed screen
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Sports photography advice
Sony A100 Sports photography advice
66
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
offers tracking focus
lack of phase detect auto focus
49
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (APS-C)
sensor has phase detect AF
does not have liveview
slow frames per second (3.0 fps)
megapixel count low (10 megapixels)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Travel photography highlights
Sony A100 Travel photography highlights
75
comes with touch to focus
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
display is selfie friendly
missing Timelapse recording
45
built-in flash
no Timelapse recording
megapixel count low (10MP)
screen isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Landscape photography advice
Sony A100 Landscape photography advice
74
has manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice screen size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
good high ISO (25,600)
supports RAW formats
missing Timelapse recording
53
you can focus manually
change lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW files
screen is small (2.5 inch)
does not have liveview
megapixel count low (10MP)
no Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Vlogging information
Sony A100 Vlogging information
78
display is selfie friendly
touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
offers face detect focus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
missing microphone jack
9
can't record video
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Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony A100 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL5 and Sony A100
 Olympus PEN E-PL5Sony Alpha DSLR-A100
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Sony
Model Olympus PEN E-PL5 Sony Alpha DSLR-A100
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Entry-Level DSLR
Announced 2012-09-17 2006-07-31
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 23.6 x 15.8mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 372.9mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 10 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2
Highest resolution 4608 x 3456 3872 x 2592
Highest native ISO 25600 1600
Minimum native ISO 200 100
RAW files
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Number of focus points 35 9
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds Sony/Minolta Alpha
Total lenses 107 143
Crop factor 2.1 1.5
Screen
Screen type Tilting Fixed Type
Screen size 3" 2.5"
Resolution of screen 460k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder coverage - 95 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.55x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 8.0 frames/s 3.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 7.00 m (bundled FL-LM1) -
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, Fill-in, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync, Off
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/250 secs 1/160 secs
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) -
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 None
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG -
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 325g (0.72 lbs) 638g (1.41 lbs)
Physical dimensions 111 x 64 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") 133 x 95 x 71mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 2.8")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 72 61
DXO Color Depth score 22.8 22.0
DXO Dynamic range score 12.3 11.2
DXO Low light score 889 476
Other
Battery life 360 shots -
Battery form Battery Pack -
Battery model BLS-5 NP-FM55H
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC Compact Flash (Type I or II)
Storage slots Single Single
Launch price $400 $1,000