Olympus E-PL8 vs Sony A37

Here, we are evaluating the Olympus E-PL8 vs Sony A37, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. The sensor resolution of the E-PL8 (16MP) and the A37 (16MP) is very comparable but the E-PL8 (Four Thirds) and A37 (APS-C) provide different sensor size.

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The E-PL8 was announced 4 years later than the A37 and that is a fairly serious difference as far as camera technology is concerned. The two cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-PL8 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A37 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before going right into a detailed comparison, here is a short summation of how the E-PL8 scores vs the A37 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

This is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus PEN E-PL8 & Sony SLT-A37. The whole galleries are viewable at Olympus E-PL8 Gallery & Sony A37 Gallery.

When you are planning to carry your camera often, you'll need to factor its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-PL8 provides exterior 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) whilst the Sony A37 has proportions of 124mm x 92mm x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3") and a weight of 506 grams (1.12 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-PL8 vs Sony A37 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you have during that time. Following is a front view scale comparison of the E-PL8 and the A37.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL8 and A37 is 86 and 67 respectively.

Quite often, it is very hard to imagine the gap in sensor sizing only by seeing a spec sheet. The visual underneath should provide you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PL8 and A37.

Clearly, both of these cameras feature the identical megapixels but different sensor sizing. The E-PL8 offers the smaller sensor which should make achieving shallower DOF harder. The younger E-PL8 should have an edge when it comes to sensor innovation.