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Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony A37

Portability
88
Imaging
51
Features
72
Overall
59
Olympus PEN E-PL5 front
 
Sony SLT-A37 front
Portability
67
Imaging
56
Features
65
Overall
59

Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony A37 Key Specs

Olympus E-PL5
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 325g - 111 x 64 x 38mm
  • Released September 2012
Sony A37
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 2.6" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 506g - 124 x 92 x 85mm
  • Introduced May 2012
  • Superseded the Sony A35
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Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony A37 Overview

The following is a extended overview of the Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony A37, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. The image resolution of the E-PL5 (16MP) and the A37 (16MP) is very comparable but the E-PL5 (Four Thirds) and A37 (APS-C) come with totally different sensor measurements.

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The E-PL5 was unveiled 5 months after the A37 so they are of a similar age. Each of these cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-PL5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A37 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before delving straight into a detailed comparison, below is a brief overview of how the E-PL5 matches up against the A37 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL5 over the Sony A37

 E-PL5 A37 
Display sizing3"2.6"Larger display (+0.4")
Display resolution460k230kSharper display (+230k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Sony A37 over the Olympus E-PL5

 A37 E-PL5 

Common features in the Olympus E-PL5 and Sony A37

 E-PL5 A37 
IntroducedSeptember 2012May 2012Same age
Manually focus Very precise focus
Display typeTiltingTiltingTilting display

Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony A37 Physical Comparison

For those who are going to travel with your camera frequently, you should take into account its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-PL5 has got exterior measurements of 111mm x 64mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") and a weight of 325 grams (0.72 lbs) whilst the Sony A37 has dimensions of 124mm x 92mm x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3") having a weight of 506 grams (1.12 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony A37 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you select during that time. Below is the front view size comparison of the E-PL5 versus the A37.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony A37 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL5 and A37 is 88 and 67 respectively.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony A37 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony A37 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it can be hard to visualise the contrast in sensor dimensions purely by going through specs. The picture underneath will help offer you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PL5 and A37.

As you can plainly see, the two cameras enjoy the same exact megapixel count but not the same sensor dimensions. The E-PL5 provides the smaller sensor which should make achieving shallow depth of field harder.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony A37 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony A37 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony A37 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Portrait photography details
Sony A37 Portrait photography details
70
has manual focus
resolution is good (16MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
has face detection focus
saves RAW files
73
has manual focus
good MP (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
provides face detect focus
saves RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 as a Street photography camera
Sony A37 as a Street photography camera
85
tilting screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
comes with focus by touch
very good high ISO (25,600)
77
has a tilting screen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
saves RAW files
good ISO range (25,600)
Photography Glossary

Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-PL5
Sports photography with Sony A37
65
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (16MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
has tracking autofocus
lacks phase detect auto focus
61
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good MP (16MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
comes with phase detect auto focus
painfully slow continuous shooting (6.0 frames per second)
low battery (500 per charge)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Travel photography information
Sony A37 Travel photography information
75
comes with focus by touch
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
selfie friendly display
no Time Lapse mode
54
good MP (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
lack of Timelapse recording
low battery (500 shots)
display isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Landscape photography info
Sony A37 Landscape photography info
73
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (16MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
very good high ISO (25,600)
saves RAW files
no Time Lapse mode
64
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good MP (16MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
good ISO range (25,600)
saves RAW files
screen is somewhat small (2.6")
low battery (500 shots)
lack of Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 as a Vlogging camera
Sony A37 as a Vlogging camera
78
selfie friendly display
built-in touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
has face detection focus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
no external mic port
35
image stabilization (Sensor based)
provides face detect focus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
does have microphone jack
display isn't selfie friendly
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Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony A37 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL5 and Sony A37
 Olympus PEN E-PL5Sony SLT-A37
General Information
Brand Olympus Sony
Model Olympus PEN E-PL5 Sony SLT-A37
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Entry-Level DSLR
Released 2012-09-17 2012-05-16
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 16 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4608 x 3456 4912 x 3264
Max native ISO 25600 25600
Min native ISO 200 100
RAW files
Autofocusing
Manual focus
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Number of focus points 35 15
Cross focus points - 3
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds Sony/Minolta Alpha
Total lenses 107 143
Crop factor 2.1 1.5
Screen
Display type Tilting Tilting
Display sizing 3 inch 2.6 inch
Resolution of display 460 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,440 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.73x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 8.0fps 6.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 7.00 m (bundled FL-LM1) 12.00 m
Flash options 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
WB bracketing
Maximum flash sync 1/250 seconds 1/160 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
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)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video file format MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 325g (0.72 lbs) 506g (1.12 lbs)
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 All around score 72 75
DXO Color Depth score 22.8 23.3
DXO Dynamic range score 12.3 12.9
DXO Low light score 889 799
Other
Battery life 360 images 500 images
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model 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
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots One One
Price at launch $400 $522