Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony A37
88 Imaging
51 Features
72 Overall
59


67 Imaging
56 Features
65 Overall
59
Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony A37 Key Specs
(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
(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- Superseded the Sony A35

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.

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.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony A37 Gallery
This is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus PEN E-PL5 & Sony SLT-A37. The full galleries are available at Olympus E-PL5 Gallery & Sony A37 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL5 over the Sony A37
E-PL5 | A37 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Display sizing | 3" | ![]() | 2.6" | Larger display (+0.4") |
Display resolution | 460k | ![]() | 230k | Sharper 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 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Introduced | September 2012 | ![]() | May 2012 | Same age |
Manually focus | ![]() | Very precise focus | ||
Display type | Tilting | ![]() | Tilting | Tilting 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.
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.

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 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 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony A37 Specifications
Olympus PEN E-PL5 | Sony 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 |