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Olympus E-PL9 vs Sony A850

Portability
85
Imaging
55
Features
78
Overall
64
Olympus PEN E-PL9 front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A850 front
Portability
54
Imaging
68
Features
60
Overall
64

Olympus E-PL9 vs Sony A850 Key Specs

Olympus E-PL9
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 200 - 6400 (Boost to 25600)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 380g - 117 x 68 x 39mm
  • Announced February 2018
  • Earlier Model is Olympus E-PL8
Sony A850
(Full Review)
  • 25MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 200 - 3200 (Push to 6400)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 895g - 156 x 117 x 82mm
  • Released April 2010
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Olympus E-PL9 vs Sony A850 Overview

Its time to look more closely at the Olympus E-PL9 vs Sony A850, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Advanced DSLR by rivals Olympus and Sony. There exists a significant gap between the sensor resolutions of the E-PL9 (16MP) and A850 (25MP) and the E-PL9 (Four Thirds) and A850 (Full frame) boast different sensor dimensions.

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The E-PL9 was released 7 years after the A850 which is quite a sizable gap as far as technology is concerned. Both the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-PL9 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A850 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before diving into a in-depth comparison, here is a simple highlight of how the E-PL9 matches up versus the A850 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL9 over the Sony A850

 E-PL9 A850 
ReleasedFebruary 2018April 2010Newer by 96 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution1040k922kCrisper screen (+118k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Sony A850 over the Olympus E-PL9

 A850 E-PL9 

Common features in the Olympus E-PL9 and Sony A850

 E-PL9 A850 
Manual focus Very accurate focusing
Screen size3"3"Same screen sizing
Selfie screen Neither has selfie screen

Olympus E-PL9 vs Sony A850 Physical Comparison

For those who are going to travel with your camera frequently, you will want to think about its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-PL9 has physical dimensions of 117mm x 68mm x 39mm (4.6" x 2.7" x 1.5") having a weight of 380 grams (0.84 lbs) while the Sony A850 has dimensions of 156mm x 117mm x 82mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 3.2") along with a weight of 895 grams (1.97 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-PL9 vs Sony A850 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you are working with at the time. Here is a front view scale comparison of the E-PL9 and the A850.

Olympus E-PL9 vs Sony A850 size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL9 and A850 is 85 and 54 respectively.

Olympus E-PL9 vs Sony A850 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL9 vs Sony A850 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it can be tough to picture the contrast between sensor dimensions only by reading through a spec sheet. The image here should provide you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL9 and A850.

Clearly, each of these cameras come with different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The E-PL9 due to its tinier sensor is going to make achieving shallower depth of field more difficult and the Sony A850 will resolve more detail as a result of its extra 9MP. Higher resolution will allow you to crop shots a good deal more aggressively. The more recent E-PL9 should have an advantage with regard to sensor tech.

Olympus E-PL9 vs Sony A850 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL9 vs Sony A850 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL9 vs Sony A850 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL9 Portrait photography information
Sony A850 Portrait photography information
73
has manual focus
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
provides face detect autofocus
exports RAW files
72
manual focus
sensor resolution is high (25MP)
great sensor size (Full frame)
delivers RAW formats
no liveview feature
Photography Glossary

Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL9 Street photography advice
Sony A850 Street photography advice
84
has a tilting screen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
provides touch focus
66
image stabilization (Sensor based)
great sensor size (Full frame)
delivers RAW formats
environment sealing
fixed screen
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-PL9
Sports photography with Sony A850
69
quiet shutter (1/16,000 seconds)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count good (16MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
provides tracking focus
lack of phase detect autofocus
71
great max shutter speed (1/8,000s)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor resolution is high (25 megapixels)
great sensor size (Full frame)
environment sealing
has phase detect autofocus
no liveview feature
very slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames/s)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL9 Travel photography advice
Sony A850 Travel photography advice
77
supports bluetooth
provides touch focus
megapixel count good (16MP)
built-in flash
doesn't offer selfie friendly display
55
environment sealing
sensor resolution is high (25MP)
does not have Timelapse recording
does not feature selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL9 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony A850 as a Landscape photography camera
80
has manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a good size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
73
manual focus
change lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen size is decent (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor resolution is high (25 megapixels)
great sensor size (Full frame)
delivers RAW formats
environment sealing
has dual storage slots
no liveview feature
does not have Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL9 Vlogging information
Sony A850 Vlogging information
35
has touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
provides face detect autofocus
high quality video (3840 x 2160 pxls)
doesn't offer selfie friendly display
does not have mic socket
9
no video shooting
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Olympus E-PL9 vs Sony A850 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL9 and Sony A850
 Olympus PEN E-PL9Sony Alpha DSLR-A850
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus PEN E-PL9 Sony Alpha DSLR-A850
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Advanced DSLR
Announced 2018-02-08 2010-04-15
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic VIII Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Full frame
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 35.9 x 24mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 861.6mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 25 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 4608 x 3456 6048 x 4032
Maximum native ISO 6400 3200
Maximum enhanced ISO 25600 6400
Min native ISO 200 200
RAW pictures
Min enhanced ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Total focus points 121 9
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds Sony/Minolta Alpha
Total lenses 107 143
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1
Screen
Screen type Tilting Fixed Type
Screen sizing 3" 3"
Screen resolution 1,040k dot 922k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Screen tech - TFT Xtra Fine color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage - 98 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.74x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60s 30s
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/8000s
Fastest silent shutter speed 1/16000s -
Continuous shutter speed 8.6 frames per second 3.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 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 Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Fastest flash sync - 1/250s
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 102 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM -
Maximum video resolution 3840x2160 None
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264 -
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 380 grams (0.84 pounds) 895 grams (1.97 pounds)
Physical dimensions 117 x 68 x 39mm (4.6" x 2.7" x 1.5") 156 x 117 x 82mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 3.2")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested 79
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 23.8
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 12.2
DXO Low light rating not tested 1415
Other
Battery life 350 photographs 880 photographs
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID - NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC card (UHS-I supported) Compact Flash (Type I or II), UDMA, Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo
Storage slots One 2
Launch cost $599 $0