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Olympus E-PL9 vs Sony A7R IV

Portability
85
Imaging
56
Features
78
Overall
64
Olympus PEN E-PL9 front
 
Sony Alpha A7R IV front
Portability
62
Imaging
81
Features
93
Overall
85

Olympus E-PL9 vs Sony A7R IV Key Specs

Olympus E-PL9
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 200 - 6400 (Push to 25600)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 380g - 117 x 68 x 39mm
  • Launched February 2018
  • Succeeded the Olympus E-PL8
Sony A7R IV
(Full Review)
  • 61MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 32000 (Raise to 102800)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 665g - 129 x 96 x 78mm
  • Revealed July 2019
  • Previous Model is Sony A7R III
  • Successor is Sony A7R V
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Olympus E-PL9 vs Sony A7R IV Overview

Let's take a more detailed look at the Olympus E-PL9 and Sony A7R IV, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Pro Mirrorless by rivals Olympus and Sony. There is a noticeable difference among the image resolutions of the E-PL9 (16MP) and A7R IV (61MP) and the E-PL9 (Four Thirds) and A7R IV (Full frame) enjoy different sensor measurements.

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The E-PL9 was launched 17 months earlier than the A7R IV which makes the cameras a generation away from each other. Both cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-PL9 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A7R IV being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving straight into a in-depth comparison, below is a concise overview of how the E-PL9 matches up versus the A7R IV in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL9 over the Sony A7R IV

 E-PL9 A7R IV 

Reasons to pick Sony A7R IV over the Olympus E-PL9

 A7R IV E-PL9 
RevealedJuly 2019February 2018Newer by 17 months
Screen resolution1440k1040kSharper screen (+400k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-PL9 and Sony A7R IV

 E-PL9 A7R IV 
Manually focus Very exact focusing
Screen typeTiltingTiltingTilting screen
Screen sizing3"3"Equivalent screen measurements
Selfie screen Absent selfie screen
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Olympus E-PL9 vs Sony A7R IV Physical Comparison

For those who are aiming to travel with your camera, you will need to factor in its weight and size. The Olympus E-PL9 features outer measurements of 117mm x 68mm x 39mm (4.6" x 2.7" x 1.5") with a weight of 380 grams (0.84 lbs) whilst the Sony A7R IV has specifications of 129mm x 96mm x 78mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 3.1") and a weight of 665 grams (1.47 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-PL9 and Sony A7R IV in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you are utilising during that time. Underneath is the front view measurement comparison of the E-PL9 compared to the A7R IV.

Olympus E-PL9 vs Sony A7R IV size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL9 and A7R IV is 85 and 62 respectively.

Olympus E-PL9 vs Sony A7R IV top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL9 vs Sony A7R IV Sensor Comparison

In many cases, it is difficult to imagine the difference in sensor dimensions simply by seeing specifications. The pic below may provide you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PL9 and A7R IV.

To sum up, the two cameras enjoy different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The E-PL9 because of its smaller sensor is going to make achieving shallow depth of field more difficult and the Sony A7R IV will show extra detail utilizing its extra 45 Megapixels. Higher resolution will enable you to crop pictures far more aggressively. The more aged E-PL9 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor tech.

Olympus E-PL9 vs Sony A7R IV sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL9 vs Sony A7R IV Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL9 vs Sony A7R IV Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-PL9
Portrait photography with Sony A7R IV
73
has manual focus
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
has face detection focusing
exports RAW formats
88
you can focus manually
MP count high (61 megapixels)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
comes with face detect autofocus
delivers RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL9 Street photography advice
Sony A7R IV Street photography advice
84
has a tilting screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
offers touch focus
79
screen tilts up and down
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
delivers RAW files
supports touch to focus
environment proofing
good high ISO (32,000)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL9 as a Sports photography camera
Sony A7R IV as a Sports photography camera
69
silent shooting (1/16,000 seconds)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
has tracking autofocus
doesn't have phase detect AF
90
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000s)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count high (61 megapixels)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
comes with tracking focus
environment proofing
good battery life (670 shots)
supports phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL9 Travel photography info
Sony A7R IV Travel photography info
77
supports bluetooth
offers touch focus
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
flash built-in
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
74
good battery life (670 CIPA)
environment proofing
has bluetooth
supports touch to focus
MP count high (61 megapixels)
screen isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL9 Landscape photography information
Sony A7R IV Landscape photography information
80
has manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice screen size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
88
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Sony E mount)
decent sized screen (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count high (61MP)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
no low pass filter
good high ISO (32,000)
delivers RAW files
environment proofing
good battery life (670 per charge)
has dual storage slots
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL9 as a Vlogging camera
Sony A7R IV as a Vlogging camera
35
screen is touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
has face detection focusing
video resolution high (3840 x 2160 pxls)
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
does not have external microphone socket
37
built-in touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
comes with face detect autofocus
high quality video (3840 x 2160 pixels)
comes with microphone jack
screen isn't selfie friendly
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Olympus E-PL9 vs Sony A7R IV Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL9 and Sony A7R IV
 Olympus PEN E-PL9Sony Alpha A7R IV
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Sony
Model Olympus PEN E-PL9 Sony Alpha A7R IV
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Pro Mirrorless
Launched 2018-02-08 2019-07-16
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic VIII Bionz X
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Full frame
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 35.8 x 23.8mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 852.0mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 61 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4608 x 3456 9504 x 6336
Highest native ISO 6400 32000
Highest enhanced ISO 25600 102800
Minimum native ISO 200 100
RAW data
Minimum enhanced ISO 100 50
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points 121 567
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds Sony E
Total lenses 107 121
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1
Screen
Range of screen Tilting Tilting
Screen diagonal 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 1,040k dot 1,440k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 5,760k dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.78x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60s 30s
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/8000s
Fastest silent shutter speed 1/16000s -
Continuous shutter speed 8.6fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 7.60 m (at ISO 200) no built-in flash
Flash modes Auto, manual, redeye reduction, slow sync w/redeye reduction, slow sync , slow sync 2nd-curtain, fill-in, off Flash off, Autoflash, Fill-flash, Slow Sync., Rear Sync., Red-eye reduction, Wireless, Hi-speed sync.
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash sync - 1/250s
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 102 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM
Highest video resolution 3840x2160 3840x2160
Video file format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, XAVC S, H.264
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 3.1 Gen 1(5 GBit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 380g (0.84 lb) 665g (1.47 lb)
Dimensions 117 x 68 x 39mm (4.6" x 2.7" x 1.5") 129 x 96 x 78mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 3.1")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested 99
DXO Color Depth score not tested 26.0
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 14.8
DXO Low light score not tested 3344
Other
Battery life 350 shots 670 shots
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model - NP-FZ100
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom) Yes
Time lapse recording
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC card (UHS-I supported) Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-II compatible)
Storage slots 1 2
Launch price $599 $3,498