Olympus E-PL8 vs Sony a5100

Its time to take a closer look at the Olympus E-PL8 versus Sony a5100, both Entry-Level Mirrorless digital cameras by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. There exists a big gap between the resolutions of the E-PL8 (16MP) and a5100 (24MP) and the E-PL8 (Four Thirds) and a5100 (APS-C) offer different sensor sizing.

Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

The E-PL8 was unveiled 2 years later than the a5100 and that is quite a big gap as far as technology is concerned. The two cameras feature the same body design (Rangefinder-style mirrorless).

Before getting straight to a in-depth comparison, here is a simple view of how the E-PL8 matches up versus the a5100 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus PEN E-PL8 and Sony Alpha a5100. The full galleries are provided at Olympus E-PL8 Gallery and Sony a5100 Gallery.

If you are going to lug around your camera regularly, you will need to think about its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-PL8 comes with physical 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 a5100 has proportions of 110mm x 63mm x 36mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.4") and a weight of 283 grams (0.62 lbs).

See the Olympus E-PL8 versus Sony a5100 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you choose at the time. Underneath is a front view size comparison of the E-PL8 and the a5100.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL8 and a5100 is 86 and 89 respectively.

More often than not, it is hard to imagine the difference between sensor measurements merely by checking specifications. The visual underneath will help give you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PL8 and a5100.

Plainly, the two cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-PL8 having a tinier sensor is going to make achieving shallow depth of field trickier and the Sony a5100 will resolve greater detail having an extra 8 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also make it easier to crop pics a good deal more aggressively. The fresher E-PL8 should have a benefit when it comes to sensor tech.