Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony A300

Its time to take a deeper look at the Olympus E-PL5 and Sony A300, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Olympus and Sony. There exists a big gap between the sensor resolutions of the E-PL5 (16MP) and A300 (10MP) and the E-PL5 (Four Thirds) and A300 (APS-C) posses different sensor sizing.

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The E-PL5 was revealed 4 years later than the A300 and that is quite a big gap as far as technology is concerned. Both of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-PL5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A300 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before we go straight to a detailed comparison, here is a simple view of how the E-PL5 scores versus the A300 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Here is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus PEN E-PL5 and Sony Alpha DSLR-A300. The full galleries are viewable at Olympus E-PL5 Gallery and Sony A300 Gallery.

In case you're looking to carry your camera often, you will want to factor its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-PL5 features outside measurements of 111mm x 64mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") with a weight of 325 grams (0.72 lbs) whilst the Sony A300 has dimensions of 131mm x 99mm x 75mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0") along with a weight of 632 grams (1.39 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-PL5 and Sony A300 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you are using at the time. Here is a front view proportions comparison of the E-PL5 against the A300.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL5 and A300 is 88 and 64 respectively.

Quite often, it can be difficult to picture the contrast between sensor sizing only by reviewing specs. The photograph here might give you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PL5 and A300.

As you can plainly see, both cameras feature different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The E-PL5 with its tinier sensor is going to make getting shallower depth of field trickier and the Olympus E-PL5 will offer you extra detail because of its extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also let you crop pictures way more aggressively. The fresher E-PL5 should have an edge in sensor innovation.