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Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony A57

Portability
88
Imaging
52
Features
72
Overall
60
Olympus PEN E-PL5 front
 
Sony SLT-A57 front
Portability
64
Imaging
57
Features
85
Overall
68

Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony A57 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
  • Revealed September 2012
Sony A57
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 100 - 16000 (Increase to 25600)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 618g - 132 x 98 x 81mm
  • Revealed September 2012
  • Superseded the Sony A55
  • Replacement is Sony A58
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Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony A57 Overview

Below is a thorough overview of the Olympus E-PL5 versus Sony A57, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by brands Olympus and Sony. The sensor resolution of the E-PL5 (16MP) and the A57 (16MP) is very close but the E-PL5 (Four Thirds) and A57 (APS-C) possess totally different sensor measurements.

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The E-PL5 was brought out very close to the A57 so they are both of a similar generation. Both cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A57 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before getting through a in-depth comparison, below is a short synopsis of how the E-PL5 scores vs the A57 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL5 over the Sony A57

 E-PL5 A57 
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Sony A57 over the Olympus E-PL5

 A57 E-PL5 
Display typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating display
Display resolution921k460kSharper display (+461k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-PL5 and Sony A57

 E-PL5 A57 
RevealedSeptember 2012September 2012Same generation
Manual focus Dial accurate focusing
Display dimension3"3"Identical display measurements
Selfie screen Both good for selfies

Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony A57 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is intending to lug around your camera frequently, you'll have to think about its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-PL5 has got outer measurements of 111mm x 64mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") having a weight of 325 grams (0.72 lbs) and the Sony A57 has dimensions of 132mm x 98mm x 81mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.2") having a weight of 618 grams (1.36 lbs).

See the Olympus E-PL5 versus Sony A57 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you have attached at the time. Here is the front view measurement comparison of the E-PL5 compared to the A57.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony A57 size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-PL5 and A57 is 88 and 64 respectively.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony A57 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony A57 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, its tough to visualise the difference in sensor measurements simply by researching a spec sheet. The visual here may offer you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PL5 and A57.

Clearly, the 2 cameras have got the exact same megapixel count but not the same sensor measurements. The E-PL5 provides the smaller sensor which will make obtaining shallower DOF harder.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony A57 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony A57 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony A57 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-PL5
Portrait photography with Sony A57
71
you can focus manually
decent MP (16MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with face detect focusing
exports RAW files
74
manual focus
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
provides face detection autofocus
saves RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Street photography features
Sony A57 Street photography features
85
tilting screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
comes with focus by touch
above average ISO range (25,600)
75
screen articulates fully
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
saves RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 as a Sports photography camera
Sony A57 as a Sports photography camera
66
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with tracking focus
lacks phase detect AF
78
image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
provides tracking autofocus
comes with phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Travel photography factors
Sony A57 Travel photography factors
75
comes with focus by touch
decent MP (16MP)
selfie friendly display
lack of Time Lapse recording
67
megapixel count good (16MP)
has built in flash
selfie friendly screen
doesn't have Time Lapse function
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony A57 as a Landscape photography camera
74
you can focus manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
decent sized screen (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
above average ISO range (25,600)
exports RAW files
lack of Time Lapse recording
72
manual focus
switch lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen size is good (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
saves RAW files
doesn't have Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-PL5
Vlogging with Sony A57
78
selfie friendly display
built-in touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
comes with face detect focusing
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lack of mic socket
77
selfie friendly screen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
provides face detection autofocus
video res high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
does have external mic support
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Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony A57 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL5 and Sony A57
 Olympus PEN E-PL5Sony SLT-A57
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Sony
Model Olympus PEN E-PL5 Sony SLT-A57
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Entry-Level DSLR
Revealed 2012-09-17 2012-09-13
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact SLR
Sensor Information
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 16MP 16MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4608 x 3456 4912 x 3264
Highest native ISO 25600 16000
Highest boosted ISO - 25600
Min native ISO 200 100
RAW data
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Number of focus points 35 15
Cross focus points - 3
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds Sony/Minolta Alpha
Number of lenses 107 143
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1.5
Screen
Display type Tilting Fully Articulated
Display diagonal 3 inches 3 inches
Display resolution 460k dots 921k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Display technology - Xtra Fine TFT drive with TruBlack technology
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,440k dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.7x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 8.0 frames per second 12.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 7.00 m (bundled FL-LM1) 10.00 m (@ ISO 100)
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
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/250 seconds 1/160 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60p, 24p), 1440 x 1080 (30p), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video format MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Mic support
Headphone support
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
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 325 gr (0.72 lbs) 618 gr (1.36 lbs)
Dimensions 111 x 64 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") 132 x 98 x 81mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.2")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 72 75
DXO Color Depth score 22.8 23.4
DXO Dynamic range score 12.3 13.0
DXO Low light score 889 785
Other
Battery life 360 shots 550 shots
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLS-5 NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots Single Single
Pricing at launch $400 $1,000