Olympus E-PL6 vs Sony S980

Below is a in-depth analysis of the Olympus E-PL6 vs Sony S980, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by brands Olympus and Sony. There exists a crucial gap between the image resolutions of the E-PL6 (16MP) and S980 (12MP) and the E-PL6 (Four Thirds) and S980 (1/2.3") come with totally different sensor dimensions.

Mastering Nature Photography with a Digital Microscope Camera

The E-PL6 was unveiled 5 years later than the S980 and that is quite a serious gap as far as technology is concerned. Both cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL6 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony S980 being a Compact camera.

Before delving through a in depth comparison, below is a simple overview of how the E-PL6 scores versus the S980 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus PEN E-PL6 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S980. The full galleries are provided at Olympus E-PL6 Gallery and Sony S980 Gallery.

When you are intending to lug around your camera regularly, you will want to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-PL6 has outside dimensions of 111mm x 64mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") along with a weight of 325 grams (0.72 lbs) whilst the Sony S980 has dimensions of 93mm x 56mm x 24mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") with a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs).

See the Olympus E-PL6 vs Sony S980 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you select during that time. Below is the front view sizing comparison of the E-PL6 versus the S980.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL6 and S980 is 88 and 94 respectively.

Normally, it is very hard to envision the difference between sensor measurements only by reviewing a spec sheet. The photograph below may provide you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PL6 and S980.

Clearly, the two cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-PL6 with its bigger sensor will make achieving shallow depth of field simpler and the Olympus E-PL6 will deliver extra detail having an extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will help you crop photographs much more aggressively. The more modern E-PL6 is going to have an advantage with regard to sensor innovation.