Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony A33

The following is a thorough assessment of the Olympus E-PL5 versus Sony A33, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by competitors Olympus and Sony. The resolution of the E-PL5 (16MP) and the A33 (14MP) is relatively comparable but the E-PL5 (Four Thirds) and A33 (APS-C) boast totally different sensor measurements.

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The E-PL5 was revealed 2 years after the A33 which is a fairly big difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-PL5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A33 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving right into a full comparison, here is a short view of how the E-PL5 matches up vs the A33 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Here is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus PEN E-PL5 & Sony SLT-A33. The full galleries are available at Olympus E-PL5 Gallery & Sony A33 Gallery.

If you're going to travel with your camera often, you're going to have to factor its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-PL5 offers outside measurements of 111mm x 64mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") accompanied by a weight of 325 grams (0.72 lbs) and the Sony A33 has dimensions of 124mm x 92mm x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3") accompanied by a weight of 500 grams (1.10 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-PL5 versus Sony A33 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you have chosen during that time. Below is a front view dimensions comparison of the E-PL5 vs the A33.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-PL5 and A33 is 88 and 67 respectively.

Normally, it is hard to envision the difference in sensor dimensions simply by checking out technical specs. The image below might give you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the E-PL5 and A33.

As you have seen, each of the cameras feature different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The E-PL5 with its smaller sensor will make getting bokeh tougher and the Olympus E-PL5 will produce more detail because of its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop shots way more aggressively. The more recent E-PL5 is going to have an advantage in sensor innovation.