Olympus E-PL8 vs Sony A500

Below is a thorough overview of the Olympus E-PL8 vs Sony A500, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by rivals Olympus and Sony. There is a sizeable difference among the resolutions of the E-PL8 (16MP) and A500 (12MP) and the E-PL8 (Four Thirds) and A500 (APS-C) come with totally different sensor dimensions.

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The E-PL8 was brought out 7 years later than the A500 and that is a fairly large gap as far as camera tech is concerned. The two cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-PL8 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A500 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before delving through a comprehensive comparison, below is a short introduction of how the E-PL8 grades versus the A500 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus PEN E-PL8 and Sony Alpha DSLR-A500. The entire galleries are provided at Olympus E-PL8 Gallery and Sony A500 Gallery.

When you are aiming to lug around your camera often, you'll need to consider its weight and size. The Olympus E-PL8 enjoys physical measurements of 115mm x 67mm x 38mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 1.5") with a weight of 357 grams (0.79 lbs) and the Sony A500 has specifications of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") and a weight of 630 grams (1.39 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-PL8 vs Sony A500 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you use at that time. Underneath is the front view sizing comparison of the E-PL8 and the A500.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL8 and A500 is 86 and 63 respectively.

Often, it's tough to envision the contrast in sensor measurements purely by seeing technical specs. The graphic below will help provide you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-PL8 and A500.

As you have seen, both of those cameras offer different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-PL8 featuring a smaller sensor will make shooting shallower depth of field trickier and the Olympus E-PL8 will provide more detail having its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will also let you crop shots a little more aggressively. The more modern E-PL8 is going to have an edge in sensor tech.