Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony S930

Here, we are comparing the Olympus E-PL5 and Sony S930, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Compact by rivals Olympus and Sony. There exists a large gap between the image resolutions of the E-PL5 (16MP) and S930 (10MP) and the E-PL5 (Four Thirds) and S930 (1/2.3") boast totally different sensor sizes.

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The E-PL5 was unveiled 3 years after the S930 which is quite a serious difference as far as technology is concerned. Both of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-PL5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony S930 being a Compact camera.

Before delving right into a full comparison, here is a concise highlight of how the E-PL5 matches up versus the S930 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN E-PL5 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S930. The full galleries are provided at Olympus E-PL5 Gallery & Sony S930 Gallery.

For anyone who is planning to carry around your camera frequently, you should factor in its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-PL5 features physical dimensions 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 S930 has measurements of 90mm x 61mm x 26mm (3.5" x 2.4" x 1.0") having a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs).

See the Olympus E-PL5 and Sony S930 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you have chosen at that moment. Here is a front view scale comparison of the E-PL5 versus the S930.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-PL5 and S930 is 88 and 94 respectively.

Quite often, it is very hard to see the gap between sensor sizes purely by checking specs. The picture here will help give you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PL5 and S930.

All in all, both of the cameras come with different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The E-PL5 having a larger sensor will make shooting shallow DOF less difficult and the Olympus E-PL5 will resolve more detail having an extra 6MP. Greater resolution will also help you crop images a good deal more aggressively. The newer E-PL5 is going to have a benefit with regard to sensor tech.