Olympus E-PL6 vs Sony A100

Here, we are evaluating the Olympus E-PL6 and Sony A100, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by brands Olympus and Sony. There is a significant difference among the image resolutions of the E-PL6 (16MP) and A100 (10MP) and the E-PL6 (Four Thirds) and A100 (APS-C) have totally different sensor measurements.

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The E-PL6 was announced 8 years after the A100 which is a fairly sizable gap as far as camera tech is concerned. The two cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-PL6 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A100 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before getting into a comprehensive comparison, here is a quick introduction of how the E-PL6 matches up vs the A100 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

The following is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus PEN E-PL6 and Sony Alpha DSLR-A100. The whole galleries are provided at Olympus E-PL6 Gallery and Sony A100 Gallery.

If you are planning to travel with your camera, you will have to take into account its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-PL6 has got physical measurements of 111mm x 64mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") having a weight of 325 grams (0.72 lbs) whilst the Sony A100 has measurements of 133mm x 95mm x 71mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 2.8") having a weight of 638 grams (1.41 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-PL6 and Sony A100 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you are working with at that moment. The following is a front view scale comparison of the E-PL6 and the A100.

Using size and weight, the portability score of the E-PL6 and A100 is 88 and 64 respectively.

Oftentimes, it's hard to visualise the contrast in sensor dimensions just by researching technical specs. The picture below might provide you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PL6 and A100.

As you can tell, both of those cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The E-PL6 with its smaller sensor will make getting shallow DOF more challenging and the Olympus E-PL6 will render greater detail with its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop photos a good deal more aggressively. The younger E-PL6 will have an advantage with regard to sensor innovation.