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Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony A35

Portability
88
Imaging
52
Features
72
Overall
60
Olympus PEN E-PL5 front
 
Sony SLT-A35 front
Portability
69
Imaging
56
Features
70
Overall
61

Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony A35 Key Specs

Olympus E-PL5
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 325g - 111 x 64 x 38mm
  • Announced September 2012
Sony A35
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 415g - 124 x 92 x 85mm
  • Launched September 2011
  • Old Model is Sony A33
  • Updated by Sony A37
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Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony A35 Overview

Following is a complete overview of the Olympus E-PL5 and Sony A35, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by competitors Olympus and Sony. The image resolution of the E-PL5 (16MP) and the A35 (16MP) is very comparable but the E-PL5 (Four Thirds) and A35 (APS-C) use different sensor sizes.

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The E-PL5 was announced 13 months after the A35 making the cameras a generation away from one another. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A35 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before going straight into a full comparison, below is a brief view of how the E-PL5 grades versus the A35 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL5 over the Sony A35

 E-PL5 A35 
LaunchedSeptember 2012September 2011More modern by 13 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Sony A35 over the Olympus E-PL5

 A35 E-PL5 
Display resolution921k460kClearer display (+461k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-PL5 and Sony A35

 E-PL5 A35 
Focus manually Very precise focus
Display dimension3"3"Identical display dimensions

Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony A35 Physical Comparison

In case you're going to carry around your camera, you are going to need to take into account its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-PL5 has external dimensions of 111mm x 64mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") with a weight of 325 grams (0.72 lbs) while the Sony A35 has measurements of 124mm x 92mm x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3") having a weight of 415 grams (0.91 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-PL5 and Sony A35 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you are utilizing during that time. The following is the front view physical size comparison of the E-PL5 vs the A35.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony A35 size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL5 and A35 is 88 and 69 respectively.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony A35 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony A35 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, its difficult to imagine the contrast in sensor sizes simply by checking out technical specs. The image below might provide you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PL5 and A35.

As you have seen, each of these cameras posses the exact same megapixels but different sensor sizes. The E-PL5 uses the smaller sensor which will make getting shallow depth of field tougher. The fresher E-PL5 should have a benefit when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony A35 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony A35 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony A35 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-PL5
Portrait photography with Sony A35
71
focusing manually
decent MP (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
includes face detect autofocus
supports RAW formats
73
focusing manually
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
has face detection focusing
supports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Street photography information
Sony A35 Street photography information
85
screen tilts
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
supports focus via touch
very good ISO range (25,600)
71
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
lighter than others (415 grams)
above average high ISO (25,600)
fixed screen
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 as a Sports photography camera
Sony A35 as a Sports photography camera
66
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
includes tracking focus
no phase detect autofocus
61
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
sensor has phase detect AF
painfully slow continuous shooting (6.0 frames/s)
low battery pack (440 shots)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 as a Travel photography camera
Sony A35 as a Travel photography camera
75
supports focus via touch
decent MP (16 megapixels)
selfie friendly screen
missing Timelapse mode
58
lighter than others (415 grams)
MP count decent (16MP)
flash built-in
missing Time Lapse mode
low battery pack (440 shots)
screen is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony A35 as a Landscape photography camera
74
focusing manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
decent sized screen (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent MP (16MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
very good ISO range (25,600)
supports RAW formats
missing Timelapse mode
69
focusing manually
swap lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen size is good (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count decent (16MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
above average high ISO (25,600)
supports RAW formats
low battery pack (440 per charge)
missing Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Vlogging information
Sony A35 Vlogging information
78
selfie friendly screen
touchscreen capability
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
includes face detect autofocus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
missing microphone port
36
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
has face detection focusing
good video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
includes external mic socket
lighter than others (415g)
screen is not selfie friendly
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Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony A35 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL5 and Sony A35
 Olympus PEN E-PL5Sony SLT-A35
General Information
Brand Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus PEN E-PL5 Sony SLT-A35
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Entry-Level DSLR
Announced 2012-09-17 2011-09-20
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Chip - Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 4608 x 3456 4912 x 3264
Maximum native ISO 25600 25600
Min native ISO 200 100
RAW support
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Total focus points 35 15
Cross type focus points - 3
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds Sony/Minolta Alpha
Amount of lenses 107 143
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1.5
Screen
Type of screen Tilting Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3" 3"
Resolution of screen 460 thousand dots 921 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,150 thousand dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.73x
Features
Min shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Max shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shutter rate 8.0 frames/s 6.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 7.00 m (bundled FL-LM1) 12.00 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Max flash synchronize 1/250 secs 1/160 secs
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60, 29.97 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 640 x 424 (29.97 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video format MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 325g (0.72 pounds) 415g (0.91 pounds)
Dimensions 111 x 64 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") 124 x 92 x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 72 74
DXO Color Depth rating 22.8 23.3
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.3 12.7
DXO Low light rating 889 763
Other
Battery life 360 shots 440 shots
Battery type Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLS-5 NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10 sec 3 or 5 images)
Time lapse feature
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots 1 1
Cost at release $400 $598