Olympus E-PL8 vs Sony A99

Below, we are matching up the Olympus E-PL8 and Sony A99, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Advanced DSLR by companies Olympus and Sony. There exists a huge gap between the resolutions of the E-PL8 (16MP) and A99 (24MP) and the E-PL8 (Four Thirds) and A99 (Full frame) possess different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The E-PL8 was launched 3 years later than the A99 and that is quite a significant gap as far as technology is concerned. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL8 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A99 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before getting through a in depth comparison, below is a quick view of how the E-PL8 scores against the A99 for portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN E-PL8 and Sony SLT-A99. The complete galleries are provided at Olympus E-PL8 Gallery and Sony A99 Gallery.

For anyone who is planning to carry your camera regularly, you will have to factor its weight and size. The Olympus E-PL8 has got 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) and the Sony A99 has specifications of 147mm x 111mm x 78mm (5.8" x 4.4" x 3.1") with a weight of 812 grams (1.79 lbs).

See the Olympus E-PL8 and Sony A99 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you are working with at that moment. Here is the front view scale comparison of the E-PL8 and the A99.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL8 and A99 is 86 and 57 respectively.

Sometimes, it can be hard to imagine the difference between sensor sizing just by looking at technical specs. The photograph underneath may give you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL8 and A99.

As you can tell, the 2 cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-PL8 due to its tinier sensor is going to make getting shallower DOF more difficult and the Sony A99 will give extra detail utilizing its extra 8 Megapixels. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop images somewhat more aggressively. The fresher E-PL8 should have a benefit with regard to sensor technology.