Olympus E-PL8 vs Sony A57

Its time to take a more detailed look at the Olympus E-PL8 and Sony A57, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by competitors Olympus and Sony. The resolution of the E-PL8 (16MP) and the A57 (16MP) is very close but the E-PL8 (Four Thirds) and A57 (APS-C) boast different sensor size.

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The E-PL8 was launched 4 years after the A57 which is a fairly large gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL8 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A57 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before going into a more detailed comparison, here is a concise introduction of how the E-PL8 matches up vs the A57 for portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

This is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus PEN E-PL8 and Sony SLT-A57. The complete galleries are viewable at Olympus E-PL8 Gallery and Sony A57 Gallery.

If you're looking to carry around your camera often, you're going to have to consider its weight and volume. The Olympus E-PL8 has physical measurements of 115mm x 67mm x 38mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 1.5") having a weight of 357 grams (0.79 lbs) while the Sony A57 has sizing of 132mm x 98mm x 81mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.2") along with a weight of 618 grams (1.36 lbs).

See the Olympus E-PL8 and Sony A57 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you choose at the time. Underneath is a front view proportions comparison of the E-PL8 compared to the A57.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-PL8 and A57 is 86 and 64 respectively.

Typically, it's hard to picture the gap in sensor sizes only by researching specs. The picture below may provide you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PL8 and A57.

As you can plainly see, both the cameras have the same megapixels but different sensor sizes. The E-PL8 provides the smaller sensor which will make getting bokeh harder. The newer E-PL8 provides an edge with regard to sensor innovation.