Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony A35: A Deep Dive into Two Entry-Level Cameras for Your Creative Journey

Choosing your next camera can feel like navigating a maze. With myriad options available, understanding the nuances between models helps you find the best fit for your photography ambitions. Today, we’re scrutinizing two entry-level models from acclaimed manufacturers Olympus and Sony: the Olympus E-PL5, a mirrorless Micro Four Thirds camera launched in 2012, and the Sony SLT-A35, an entry-level DSLR-style single-lens translucent (SLT) camera released in 2011.

Both have their passionate followers and unique strengths, but which one is right for your style and workflow? Drawing on years of hands-on testing and technical insights, we explore their build, sensor technology, autofocus, image quality, and specialized uses across photography disciplines. You’ll find practical comparisons backed by trusted industry data and real-world shooting experience.

First Impressions: Size, Ergonomics, and Handling Comfort

Before diving into technical details, physical size and handling tell a big part of the story, especially for daily use and portability.

• Olympus E-PL5: Compact, rangefinder-style mirrorless body weighing an easy 325g with dimensions 111mm x 64mm x 38mm. The tilting touchscreen and simplified grip make it comfortable to hold in urban or travel settings. The smaller size suits photographers valuing portability and discretion.

• Sony A35: The compact SLR-style body is more substantial at 415g and measures 124mm x 92mm x 85mm. Grip ergonomics lean toward traditional DSLR handling, providing a firm, stable shooting platform favored by those accustomed to pro cameras. The fixed 3-inch screen does not tilt but offers higher resolution at 921k dots.

Ultimately, if size and lightness are your priority for travel or street photography, the E-PL5 is a clear winner here. For sports or nature shooters who appreciate a confident grip and more robust body, the A35 has the edge.

Design and Interface: Where Controls Meet Intuition

The user interface impacts your shooting experience, speed, and overall creative flow.

• Olympus E-PL5: Mirrorless design means a cleaner top panel with fewer buttons, leaning on touchscreen for menu navigation and settings. The tilting LCD supports easy framing from various angles, a boon for vlogging and creative compositions.

• Sony A35: Traditional DSLR layout provides direct access to buttons and dials for shutter speed, aperture, and ISO, making manual adjustments quicker without menu dives. The electronic viewfinder (EVF) substitutes the optical viewfinder with 100% coverage and good magnification, useful for precise manual focusing.

If fast manual controls and tactile feedback appeal to you - especially for outdoor or action photography - the Sony A35’s interface can speed workflow. Conversely, the Olympus E-PL5’s touchscreen friendliness is attractive for casual shooting and on-the-go creativity.

Sensor Technology and Image Quality: The Heart of the Camera

Understanding sensor specs gives insight into potential image quality, dynamic range, and low-light performance.

Though both sport 16-megapixel sensors, Sony’s APS-C is physically larger by 63% in area compared to Olympus’ Four Thirds. This typically translates into better light gathering efficiency, wider dynamic range, and improved noise control at high ISO levels.

The Sony A35 edges out slightly in DxOMark tests and practical shooting situations, especially in challenging lighting, making it more flexible for landscapers and event shooters dealing with shadows and highlights.

However, the Olympus sensor still performs admirably, producing crisp images with clean colors, especially in well-lit scenarios. For smaller prints and social media sharing, differences won’t be glaring.

Autofocus System: Tracking the Action with Precision

A reliable autofocus (AF) system lets you capture fleeting expressions or fast-moving subjects.

The E-PL5 uses contrast-detection autofocus with 35 selectable points and live view. It supports face detection and continuous AF with tracking – meaning once your subject is focused, the camera attempts to maintain focus even if they move. This makes it well-suited for portraiture and casual wildlife photography.

The Sony A35 features a hybrid autofocus combining 15 phase-detection AF points with contrast detection, offering speedy, accurate focus acquisition. The limited focus point count is offset by phase detection’s real-time speed, especially beneficial in sports and action photography.

Though tracking AF is not as robust as newer models, Sony’s phase detection is still faster overall. For wildlife or fast sports, you’ll appreciate this advantage. Olympus may feel more hesitant in low light or fast motions, but excels well enough for street and casual portraiture.

Build Quality and Weather Resistance: How Your Gear Stands Up

Neither camera sports environmental sealing or rugged weatherproofing, so extra care is essential in tough conditions. However, build quality differs:

• Olympus E-PL5: Lightweight plastic and metal blend, offering a reasonably sturdy feel but should avoid exposure to rain or dust.

• Sony A35: Bulkier, more robust-feeling body resembling a DSLR, likely better durable in everyday knocks. Both lack dustproofing and splash resistance.

For demanding nature or travel photographers needing durability, neither camera is ideal as-is. Investing in protective gear such as rain covers is prudent.

Screen and Viewfinder: Framing Your Vision

Engaging with your subject depends heavily on screens and viewfinders.

• Olympus E-PL5: 3.0-inch tilting touchscreen with 460k pixels. Great for intuitive menus, creative angles, and selfie-friendly compositions. Touch focus adds speed.

• Sony A35: Fixed 3.0-inch screen with 921k pixels (double resolution). Non-touch but clearer for reviewing images. Plus, the electronic viewfinder with 100% coverage and 1150k dots grants stable eye-level composition even in bright light.

This EVF is a decisive feature for those preferring DSLR-style shooting and precise manual focus, while the Olympus’ screen excels in versatility and ease-of-use for casual or video shooters.

Lens Ecosystem and Compatibility: Expanding Your Creative Toolkit

Your camera is only as good as the lenses you pair it with.

The Olympus Micro Four Thirds mount benefits from a wide variety of compact primes and zooms from multiple manufacturers, optimized for mirrorless performance and smaller sensor size. Its 2.1x crop factor means standard lenses deliver longer reach - great for telephoto enthusiasts but less favorable for wider angles.

Sony’s A-mount system offers a larger APS-C sensor with a 1.5x crop factor and supports many native Sony lenses plus older Minolta AF glass. The DSLR-style lens range includes faster primes and pro-grade zooms, expanding creative possibilities dramatically.

If lens variety and high-quality optics are critical for you, the Sony kit potentially offers more flexibility and reach for specialized genres like wildlife or macro. Olympus leans toward smaller, lightweight lenses ideal for casual shooting and travel.

Battery Life and Storage: How Long Can You Shoot?

• Olympus E-PL5: Rated battery life around 360 shots per charge with BLS-5 battery. Storage supports SD/SDHC/SDXC cards with a single slot.

• Sony A35: Longest battery life of approximately 440 shots using NP-FW50, also with single slot supporting both SD cards and Sony’s Memory Stick formats.

Sony’s battery endurance advantage is meaningful for longer shoots like events or holidays without frequent battery swapping. Both cameras limit dual-storage card use, so consider capacity and redundancy needs accordingly.

Connectivity: Sharing and Workflow Integration

• Olympus E-PL5: Supports Eye-Fi wireless card connectivity for photo transfer but lacks built-in Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or NFC.

• Sony A35: No wireless features; relies on wired connections via USB 2.0 and HDMI.

Neither camera offers modern connectivity conveniences like integrated Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, limiting remote control and instant sharing. For bloggers or vloggers valuing connectivity, a newer system might better suit, but both cameras remain reliable for traditional tethered workflows.

Video Capabilities: Capturing Motion With Quality

Sony’s A35 offers smoother 1080p video at 60 frames per second, advantageous for slow-motion and sports action recording. The inclusion of a microphone input allows for higher quality audio recording with external mics, a plus for serious videographers.

Olympus E-PL5’s video is capped at 30fps in Full HD and shows moderate rolling shutter but benefits from sensor image stabilization reducing handheld shake.

If you plan to shoot a lot of video alongside stills, Sony’s advanced codec support and better frame rates combined with audio options give it a notable edge.

Specialized Photography: Evaluating Performance Across Genres

Let’s explore how these two cameras hold up in different creative contexts.

Portrait Photography

• Olympus offers face detection and eye detection autofocus plus a 3-inch tilting touchscreen for creative angles. The Four Thirds sensor and lens system produce good bokeh or background blur, though less creamy than APS-C depth-of-field due to sensor size.

• Sony’s larger APS-C sensor yields shallower depth-of-field for more pronounced subject separation and delivers slightly better color depth and skin tone gradation. Faster autofocus aids candid capture.

Landscape Photography

• Sony A35’s larger sensor and wider dynamic range better preserve shadow and highlight details critical for landscapes. The greater selection of sharp wide-angle lenses also helps.

• Olympus’s compactness aids travel to remote locations but dynamic range and resolution limitations are noticeable under challenging lighting.

Wildlife Photography

• Sony’s fast phase-detection AF and greater lens reach potential paired with higher burst rate from 6 fps favor wildlife shooting. The crop factor offers extended reach.

• Olympus benefits from more focus points and lighter lenses part of Micro Four Thirds but slower contrast-detect AF and frame rate stand as constraints.

Sports Photography

• Faster AF from Sony and higher-quality tracking makes the A35 a better choice despite lower max frame rate than modern DSLR models. Electronic viewfinder helps in fast-moving scenarios.

• Olympus’s burst of 8 fps is excellent but slower AF and no dedicated tracking lower its sports appeal.

Street Photography

• Olympus’s smaller, quieter body feels less obtrusive, ideal for candid moments. Tilting screen helps shooting discreetly.

• Sony is bigger and louder but EVF helps compose shots in changing light. Takes a bit more space to carry.

Macro Photography

• Both cameras lack focus stacking or bracketing but large lens selection on Sony allows dedicated macro optics. Olympus has precise focus aids on touchscreen.

Night and Astro Photography

• Sony’s higher dynamic range, lower noise at high ISO, and longer exposure capabilities favor astrophotography.

• Olympus can manage milder low-light but sensor size hampers ultimate image quality.

Video

• Sony’s 1080p@60fps, mic input, and AVCHD codec appeal to hybrid shooters.

• Olympus’s 1080p@30fps with sensor stabilization is suitable for casual video.

Travel Photography

• Olympus’s light weight, compact size, and touchscreen tilt screen enhance travel usability.

• Sony’s robust battery and expanded lens options prioritize versatility on the road.

Professional Workflows

• Sony supports RAW and access to professional A-mount lenses, fitting into DSLR workflows better.

• Olympus delivers solid RAW files for enthusiasts, with smaller image sizes aiding faster editing and sharing but less suited for large commercial prints.

Sample Image Gallery: Real-World Results At A Glance

Olympus E PL5 front Olympus E PL5 screen back Sony A35 front Sony A35 screen back

From detailed portraits to landscapes, these sample images showcase the quality and character of each camera’s sensor and processing pipeline. Note the richer dynamic range and finer noise handling of Sony shots, alongside Olympus’s color vibrancy and compact system benefits.

Summarizing Performance Scores: A Side-by-Side Overview

Specialized Genre Ratings: Which Shines Where?

Here you see Olympus leading street and travel categories for portability and ease, while Sony dominates sports, wildlife, and landscapes due to sensor and AF superiority.

Final Thoughts and Recommendations: Which Camera Should You Choose?

• Choose Olympus E-PL5 If You:

  • Prioritize compactness and light weight for travel, street or casual video.
  • Are new to interchangeable lens cameras and prefer touchscreen interfaces.
  • Shoot mostly in good light, focusing on snapshots, portraits, and travel stories.
  • Favor silent operation and quick tilting screen use.

• Choose Sony A35 If You:

  • Want stronger image quality, especially in landscapes and low light.
  • Require faster autofocus and superior tracking for action, sports, or wildlife.
  • Value higher-res electronic viewfinder for precise manual focus.
  • Place importance on video recording quality and external mic input.
  • Need a rich selection of robust, legacy, or pro-grade lenses.

Both cameras are sturdy entry points into their respective systems and remain capable despite their age. Your choice hinges on your preferred shooting style, discipline, and whether portability or performance matters more.

Getting the Most Out of Your Camera Investment

Whichever model you pick, consider accessories that enhance experience:

• Extra batteries for longer shoots.
• High-speed memory cards for video and burst shooting.
• Quality lenses suited for your favorite genres.
• Camera bags that protect with portability.
• Remote controls or tripods for specialized photography.

Testing each camera hands-on where possible is invaluable - visit your local store or rental services to see which camera feels right in your hands.

Your next camera is a tool to tell your story. Whether compact and nimble Olympus or performance-focused Sony, aligning features with your vision is key. We hope this detailed comparison sheds light on these iconic models and helps you discover the gear that fuels your creativity.

Happy shooting and keep creating!

This article draws on extensive testing with both cameras across multiple photography disciplines, incorporating technical reviews, DxOMark data, and practical field experience.