Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony RX100 IV

Lets look closer at the Olympus E-PL5 and Sony RX100 IV, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Large Sensor Compact by rivals Olympus and Sony. The resolution of the E-PL5 (16MP) and the RX100 IV (20MP) is pretty close but the E-PL5 (Four Thirds) and RX100 IV (1") offer totally different sensor sizes.

Photography Glossary

The E-PL5 was released 3 years before the RX100 IV and that is a fairly significant gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-PL5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony RX100 IV being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before we go right into a complete comparison, here is a quick summary of how the E-PL5 grades vs the RX100 IV in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus PEN E-PL5 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 IV. The complete galleries are provided at Olympus E-PL5 Gallery and Sony RX100 IV Gallery.

For anyone who is planning to lug around your camera regularly, you are going to need to factor its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-PL5 comes with exterior measurements of 111mm x 64mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") having a weight of 325 grams (0.72 lbs) and the Sony RX100 IV has dimensions of 102mm x 58mm x 41mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.6") along with a weight of 298 grams (0.66 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-PL5 and Sony RX100 IV in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you select during that time. Below is a front view overall size comparison of the E-PL5 compared to the RX100 IV.

Considering size and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL5 and RX100 IV is 88 and 89 respectively.

Generally, it is hard to visualise the gap in sensor measurements simply by viewing specs. The graphic underneath will offer you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-PL5 and RX100 IV.

As you can plainly see, both cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-PL5 because of its bigger sensor will make getting bokeh simpler and the Sony RX100 IV will render more detail as a result of its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will help you crop photographs a good deal more aggressively. The older E-PL5 will be behind when it comes to sensor innovation.