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Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony A99

Portability
88
Imaging
51
Features
72
Overall
59
Olympus PEN E-PL5 front
 
Sony SLT-A99 front
Portability
57
Imaging
68
Features
88
Overall
76

Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony A99 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 A99
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 812g - 147 x 111 x 78mm
  • Announced December 2012
  • Previous Model is Sony A900
  • New Model is Sony A99 II
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Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony A99 Overview

The following is a in depth assessment of the Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony A99, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Advanced DSLR by companies Olympus and Sony. There exists a crucial gap between the image resolutions of the E-PL5 (16MP) and A99 (24MP) and the E-PL5 (Four Thirds) and A99 (Full frame) provide totally different sensor sizes.

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The E-PL5 was brought out 2 months before the A99 and they are of a similar generation. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A99 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before diving right into a step-by-step comparison, here is a short summation of how the E-PL5 grades vs the A99 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL5 over the Sony A99

 E-PL5 A99 
Touch display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Sony A99 over the Olympus E-PL5

 A99 E-PL5 
Display typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating display
Display resolution1229k460kClearer display (+769k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-PL5 and Sony A99

 E-PL5 A99 
AnnouncedSeptember 2012December 2012Similar generation
Manually focus More exact focusing
Display dimensions3"3"Equal display dimensions
Selfie screen Both good for selfies

Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony A99 Physical Comparison

If you are looking to travel with your camera, you have to think about its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-PL5 has got physical dimensions 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 A99 has proportions of 147mm x 111mm x 78mm (5.8" x 4.4" x 3.1") having a weight of 812 grams (1.79 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony A99 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you are utilising at that moment. Below is a front view measurements comparison of the E-PL5 and the A99.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony A99 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL5 and A99 is 88 and 57 respectively.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony A99 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony A99 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it is very hard to visualise the difference between sensor dimensions purely by looking at specifications. The pic underneath might provide you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL5 and A99.

Plainly, both of the cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The E-PL5 due to its tinier sensor will make getting shallow DOF trickier and the Sony A99 will resolve greater detail having its extra 8MP. Greater resolution can also let you crop images more aggressively.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony A99 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony A99 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony A99 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Portrait photography info
Sony A99 Portrait photography info
70
you can focus manually
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
includes face detect focus
saves RAW files
80
has manual focus
resolution is good (24 megapixels)
great sensor size (Full frame)
has face detection focusing
supports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Street photography highlights
Sony A99 Street photography highlights
85
screen tilts
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
has focus via touch
great high ISO (25,600)
75
screen can move to multiple angles
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
great sensor size (Full frame)
supports RAW formats
weather sealing
good ISO range (25,600)
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-PL5
Sports photography with Sony A99
65
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
includes tracking focus
lacks phase detect auto focus
77
high shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (24MP)
great sensor size (Full frame)
has tracking autofocus
weather sealing
supports phase detect AF
low battery pack (500 shots)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 as a Travel photography camera
Sony A99 as a Travel photography camera
75
has focus via touch
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
selfie friendly screen
no Timelapse function
60
weather sealing
resolution is good (24MP)
selfie friendly display
lack of Time Lapse mode
low battery pack (500 CIPA)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-PL5
Landscape photography with Sony A99
73
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
great high ISO (25,600)
saves RAW files
no Timelapse function
74
has manual focus
switch lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen is a good size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (24MP)
great sensor size (Full frame)
good ISO range (25,600)
supports RAW formats
weather sealing
has dual storage slots
low battery pack (500 shots)
lack of Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Vlogging features
Sony A99 Vlogging features
78
selfie friendly screen
screen is touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
includes face detect focus
good video quality (1920 x 1080 pixels)
no microphone support
76
selfie friendly display
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
has face detection focusing
good video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
comes with external mic jack
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Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony A99 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL5 and Sony A99
 Olympus PEN E-PL5Sony SLT-A99
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus PEN E-PL5 Sony SLT-A99
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Advanced DSLR
Released 2012-09-17 2012-12-12
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Powered by - Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Full frame
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 35.8 x 23.8mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 852.0mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 24MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 4608 x 3456 6000 x 4000
Max native ISO 25600 25600
Lowest native ISO 200 100
RAW data
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points 35 19
Cross type focus points - 11
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds Sony/Minolta Alpha
Number of lenses 107 143
Crop factor 2.1 1
Screen
Display type Tilting Fully Articulated
Display diagonal 3 inch 3 inch
Display resolution 460k dot 1,229k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Display technology - TFT Xtra Fine color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359k dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.71x
Features
Min shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/8000 seconds
Continuous shutter speed 8.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 7.00 m (bundled FL-LM1) no built-in flash
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
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Max flash sync 1/250 seconds 1/250 seconds
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, 24 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 640 x 424 (29.97 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 325g (0.72 pounds) 812g (1.79 pounds)
Physical dimensions 111 x 64 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") 147 x 111 x 78mm (5.8" x 4.4" x 3.1")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 72 89
DXO Color Depth rating 22.8 25.0
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.3 14.0
DXO Low light rating 889 1555
Other
Battery life 360 images 500 images
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLS-5 NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC Memory Stick PRO Duo/Pro-HG Duo; SD, SDHC and SDXC
Storage slots Single Two
Retail pricing $400 $1,998