Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony RX10

Following is a extended analysis of the Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony RX10, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Large Sensor Superzoom by rivals Olympus and Sony. The resolution of the E-PL5 (16MP) and the RX10 (20MP) is fairly close but the E-PL5 (Four Thirds) and RX10 (1") have totally different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The E-PL5 was brought out 18 months before the RX10 making them a generation away from one another. Both the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony RX10 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before going straight to a full comparison, here is a concise summation of how the E-PL5 matches up against the RX10 for portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN E-PL5 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10. The entire galleries are viewable at Olympus E-PL5 Gallery and Sony RX10 Gallery.

When you are going to carry around your camera often, you'll need to consider its weight and volume. The Olympus E-PL5 comes with outer measurements 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 RX10 has sizing of 129mm x 88mm x 102mm (5.1" x 3.5" x 4.0") accompanied by a weight of 813 grams (1.79 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony RX10 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you have attached at that moment. Below is a front view physical size comparison of the E-PL5 vs the RX10.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL5 and RX10 is 88 and 58 respectively.

More often than not, its difficult to see the difference in sensor sizes only by looking through technical specs. The image here will help provide you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PL5 and RX10.

As you can tell, the 2 cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The E-PL5 due to its larger sensor will make getting shallower DOF less difficult and the Sony RX10 will provide you with greater detail having its extra 4MP. Greater resolution will also let you crop pics a bit more aggressively. The more aged E-PL5 will be behind when it comes to sensor innovation.