Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony A58

Its time to look a bit more closely at the Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony A58, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Olympus and Sony. The sensor resolution of the E-PL5 (16MP) and the A58 (20MP) is pretty well matched but the E-PL5 (Four Thirds) and A58 (APS-C) use different sensor sizing.

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The E-PL5 was unveiled 14 months prior to the A58 which makes the cameras a generation away from one another. Both cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A58 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before we go through a detailed comparison, below is a simple synopsis of how the E-PL5 scores vs the A58 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Below is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus PEN E-PL5 and Sony SLT-A58. The full galleries are available at Olympus E-PL5 Gallery and Sony A58 Gallery.

In case you're intending to carry around your camera frequently, you will have to think about its weight and volume. The Olympus E-PL5 enjoys external measurements of 111mm x 64mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") accompanied by a weight of 325 grams (0.72 lbs) while the Sony A58 has sizing of 129mm x 95mm x 78mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 3.1") accompanied by a weight of 492 grams (1.08 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony A58 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you are employing during that time. Here is the front view dimensions comparison of the E-PL5 vs the A58.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-PL5 and A58 is 88 and 68 respectively.

Sometimes, it is difficult to imagine the difference between sensor sizes only by checking technical specs. The image here may offer you a clearer sense of the sensor measurements in the E-PL5 and A58.

As you have seen, both of those cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The E-PL5 using its tinier sensor is going to make achieving shallow depth of field harder and the Sony A58 will give greater detail having an extra 4MP. Higher resolution will let you crop shots somewhat more aggressively. The more aged E-PL5 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor technology.