Olympus E-PL6 vs Sony WX500

Its time to look a little more closely at the Olympus E-PL6 and Sony WX500, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by competitors Olympus and Sony. The image resolution of the E-PL6 (16MP) and the WX500 (18MP) is fairly similar but the E-PL6 (Four Thirds) and WX500 (1/2.3") feature totally different sensor size.

Photography Glossary

The E-PL6 was brought out 8 months prior to the WX500 so they are both of a similar generation. Both the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-PL6 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony WX500 being a Compact camera.

Before diving in to a more detailed comparison, below is a simple summary of how the E-PL6 matches up against the WX500 for portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Here is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN E-PL6 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX500. The entire galleries are viewable at Olympus E-PL6 Gallery and Sony WX500 Gallery.

If you are going to carry your camera, you should take into account its weight and volume. The Olympus E-PL6 enjoys outside dimensions of 111mm x 64mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") and a weight of 325 grams (0.72 lbs) while the Sony WX500 has sizing of 102mm x 58mm x 36mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.4") having a weight of 236 grams (0.52 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-PL6 and Sony WX500 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you select at the time. Underneath is the front view size comparison of the E-PL6 versus the WX500.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-PL6 and WX500 is 88 and 91 respectively.

Typically, its difficult to visualise the contrast between sensor sizing just by reading technical specs. The photograph underneath will provide you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL6 and WX500.

As you have seen, both of these cameras offer different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-PL6 due to its larger sensor will make achieving shallower DOF less difficult and the Sony WX500 will offer extra detail having its extra 2MP. Greater resolution will also make it easier to crop images a little more aggressively. The older E-PL6 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.