Olympus E-PL8 vs Sony a5000

Below is a detailed review of the Olympus E-PL8 versus Sony a5000, both Entry-Level Mirrorless digital cameras by brands Olympus and Sony. The resolution of the E-PL8 (16MP) and the a5000 (20MP) is relatively similar but the E-PL8 (Four Thirds) and a5000 (APS-C) provide different sensor size.

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The E-PL8 was manufactured 2 years later than the a5000 and that is quite a serious difference as far as technology is concerned. Both of these cameras feature the same body design (Rangefinder-style mirrorless).

Before getting straight to a full comparison, here is a short overview of how the E-PL8 grades vs the a5000 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus PEN E-PL8 & Sony Alpha a5000. The entire galleries are provided at Olympus E-PL8 Gallery & Sony a5000 Gallery.

For anybody who is planning to lug around your camera frequently, you are going to need to factor its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-PL8 has physical dimensions of 115mm x 67mm x 38mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 1.5") accompanied by a weight of 357 grams (0.79 lbs) whilst the Sony a5000 has proportions of 110mm x 63mm x 36mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.4") accompanied by a weight of 269 grams (0.59 lbs).

See the Olympus E-PL8 versus Sony a5000 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you are employing at that time. Here is a front view scale comparison of the E-PL8 compared to the a5000.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL8 and a5000 is 86 and 89 respectively.

Quite often, it is very difficult to imagine the difference between sensor measurements merely by reading specs. The graphic here should give you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL8 and a5000.

All in all, each of the cameras feature different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-PL8 because of its tinier sensor is going to make shooting shallow DOF more challenging and the Sony a5000 will offer you more detail due to its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop pictures way more aggressively. The more recent E-PL8 provides an advantage with regard to sensor tech.