Olympus E-PL8 vs Sony A77 II

Below, we will be analyzing the Olympus E-PL8 vs Sony A77 II, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Advanced DSLR by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. There is a sizeable difference among the image resolutions of the E-PL8 (16MP) and A77 II (24MP) and the E-PL8 (Four Thirds) and A77 II (APS-C) feature different sensor size.

Photography Glossary

The E-PL8 was released 2 years later than the A77 II and that is a fairly large gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL8 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A77 II being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before getting through a complete comparison, below is a brief summary of how the E-PL8 grades vs the A77 II for portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus PEN E-PL8 and Sony SLT-A77 II. The complete galleries are viewable at Olympus E-PL8 Gallery and Sony A77 II Gallery.

If you're going to carry your camera regularly, you are going to need to factor in its weight and size. The Olympus E-PL8 enjoys outside measurements of 115mm x 67mm x 38mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 1.5") and a weight of 357 grams (0.79 lbs) and the Sony A77 II has specifications of 143mm x 104mm x 81mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.2") accompanied by a weight of 647 grams (1.43 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-PL8 vs Sony A77 II in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you have attached at that moment. Following is the front view dimensions comparison of the E-PL8 compared to the A77 II.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL8 and A77 II is 86 and 62 respectively.

Often, it's difficult to picture the difference in sensor sizing simply by looking through specs. The graphic underneath will provide you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PL8 and A77 II.

As you can plainly see, both cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The E-PL8 due to its smaller sensor is going to make getting shallow DOF more challenging and the Sony A77 II will result in extra detail as a result of its extra 8MP. Higher resolution will also let you crop pictures somewhat more aggressively. The newer E-PL8 should have a benefit with regard to sensor innovation.