Olympus E-PL7 vs Sony A55

Here is a detailed overview of the Olympus E-PL7 and Sony A55, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. The image resolution of the E-PL7 (16MP) and the A55 (16MP) is relatively comparable but the E-PL7 (Four Thirds) and A55 (APS-C) use different sensor dimensions.

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The E-PL7 was brought out 4 years later than the A55 and that is a fairly big gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL7 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A55 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before going straight into a step-by-step comparison, below is a short synopsis of how the E-PL7 scores vs the A55 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Here is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus PEN E-PL7 and Sony SLT-A55. The entire galleries are provided at Olympus E-PL7 Gallery and Sony A55 Gallery.

When you are aiming to carry your camera often, you have to take into account its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-PL7 enjoys outside measurements of 115mm x 67mm x 38mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 1.5") along with a weight of 357 grams (0.79 lbs) and the Sony A55 has measurements of 124mm x 92mm x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3") and a weight of 500 grams (1.10 lbs).

See the Olympus E-PL7 and Sony A55 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you use during that time. The following is the front view measurement comparison of the E-PL7 compared to the A55.

Looking at size and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL7 and A55 is 86 and 67 respectively.

Generally, it's tough to imagine the gap in sensor sizing only by seeing technical specs. The graphic here will provide you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-PL7 and A55.

As you can tell, each of the cameras posses the exact same MP albeit different sensor sizing. The E-PL7 provides the smaller sensor which will make achieving shallower DOF more challenging. The fresher E-PL7 provides a benefit in sensor technology.