Olympus E-PL9 vs Sony A55
85 Imaging
55 Features
78 Overall
64


67 Imaging
55 Features
80 Overall
65
Olympus E-PL9 vs Sony A55 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
- 3" Tilting Display
- ISO 200 - 6400 (Bump to 25600)
- Sensor based Image Stabilization
- 3840 x 2160 video
- Micro Four Thirds Mount
- 380g - 117 x 68 x 39mm
- Announced February 2018
- Previous Model is Olympus E-PL8
(Full Review)
- 16MP - APS-C Sensor
- 3" Fully Articulated Display
- ISO 100 - 12800 (Bump to 25600)
- Sensor based Image Stabilization
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
- 500g - 124 x 92 x 85mm
- Announced August 2010
- Later Model is Sony A57

Olympus E-PL9 vs Sony A55 Overview
Below, we are analyzing the Olympus E-PL9 and Sony A55, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by rivals Olympus and Sony. The sensor resolution of the E-PL9 (16MP) and the A55 (16MP) is very similar but the E-PL9 (Four Thirds) and A55 (APS-C) feature totally different sensor size.

The E-PL9 was announced 7 years after the A55 which is quite a sizable difference as far as tech is concerned. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL9 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A55 being a Compact SLR camera.
Before going straight into a step-by-step comparison, below is a simple synopsis of how the E-PL9 grades vs the A55 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Olympus E-PL9 vs Sony A55 Gallery
Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus PEN E-PL9 & Sony SLT-A55. The whole galleries are viewable at Olympus E-PL9 Gallery & Sony A55 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL9 over the Sony A55
E-PL9 | A55 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Announced | February 2018 | ![]() | August 2010 | More modern by 91 months |
Display resolution | 1040k | ![]() | 921k | Clearer display (+119k dot) |
Touch friendly display | ![]() | Easily navigate |
Reasons to pick Sony A55 over the Olympus E-PL9
A55 | E-PL9 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Display type | Fully Articulated | ![]() | Tilting | Fully Articulating display |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Easy selfies |
Common features in the Olympus E-PL9 and Sony A55
E-PL9 | A55 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Manually focus | ![]() | More accurate focus | ||
Display dimension | 3" | ![]() | 3" | Identical display size |
Olympus E-PL9 vs Sony A55 Physical Comparison
In case you're going to carry around your camera often, you need to think about its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-PL9 provides exterior measurements of 117mm x 68mm x 39mm (4.6" x 2.7" x 1.5") accompanied by a weight of 380 grams (0.84 lbs) whilst the Sony A55 has measurements of 124mm x 92mm x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3") and a weight of 500 grams (1.10 lbs).
Analyze the Olympus E-PL9 and Sony A55 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you are working with at that time. The following is the front view scale comparison of the E-PL9 and the A55.

Looking at size and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL9 and A55 is 85 and 67 respectively.

Olympus E-PL9 vs Sony A55 Sensor Comparison
Usually, it can be hard to envision the gap between sensor sizes merely by going over a spec sheet. The image underneath will help give you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-PL9 and A55.
Clearly, both of those cameras posses the exact same resolution but not the same sensor sizes. The E-PL9 comes with the tinier sensor which should make getting shallower depth of field more difficult. The newer E-PL9 is going to have a benefit when it comes to sensor tech.

Olympus E-PL9 vs Sony A55 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL9 vs Sony A55 Specifications
Olympus PEN E-PL9 | Sony SLT-A55 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Make | Olympus | Sony |
Model | Olympus PEN E-PL9 | Sony SLT-A55 |
Type | Entry-Level Mirrorless | Entry-Level DSLR |
Announced | 2018-02-08 | 2010-08-24 |
Body design | Rangefinder-style mirrorless | Compact SLR |
Sensor Information | ||
Chip | TruePic VIII | Bionz |
Sensor type | CMOS | CMOS |
Sensor size | Four Thirds | APS-C |
Sensor dimensions | 17.3 x 13mm | 23.5 x 15.6mm |
Sensor surface area | 224.9mm² | 366.6mm² |
Sensor resolution | 16 megapixel | 16 megapixel |
Anti aliasing filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 | 3:2 and 16:9 |
Highest Possible resolution | 4608 x 3456 | 4912 x 3264 |
Maximum native ISO | 6400 | 12800 |
Maximum enhanced ISO | 25600 | 25600 |
Lowest native ISO | 200 | 100 |
RAW support | ||
Lowest enhanced ISO | 100 | - |
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
Touch to focus | ||
AF continuous | ||
AF single | ||
AF tracking | ||
AF selectice | ||
AF center weighted | ||
Multi area AF | ||
Live view AF | ||
Face detect AF | ||
Contract detect AF | ||
Phase detect AF | ||
Number of focus points | 121 | 15 |
Cross focus points | - | 3 |
Lens | ||
Lens mount | Micro Four Thirds | Sony/Minolta Alpha |
Amount of lenses | 107 | 143 |
Focal length multiplier | 2.1 | 1.5 |
Screen | ||
Range of display | Tilting | Fully Articulated |
Display diagonal | 3" | 3" |
Resolution of display | 1,040k dot | 921k dot |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch functionality | ||
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder type | Electronic (optional) | Electronic |
Viewfinder resolution | - | 1,150k dot |
Viewfinder coverage | - | 100 percent |
Viewfinder magnification | - | 0.73x |
Features | ||
Min shutter speed | 60 secs | 30 secs |
Max shutter speed | 1/4000 secs | 1/4000 secs |
Max quiet shutter speed | 1/16000 secs | - |
Continuous shutter speed | 8.6 frames/s | 10.0 frames/s |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manual exposure | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
Change WB | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Inbuilt flash | ||
Flash range | 7.60 m (at ISO 200) | 10.00 m (@ ISO 100) |
Flash options | 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, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless |
External flash | ||
Auto exposure bracketing | ||
WB bracketing | ||
Max flash sync | - | 1/160 secs |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment exposure | ||
Average exposure | ||
Spot exposure | ||
Partial exposure | ||
AF area exposure | ||
Center weighted exposure | ||
Video features | ||
Supported video resolutions | 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 102 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM | 1920 x 1080 (60, 29.97 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 640 x 424 (29.97 fps) |
Maximum video resolution | 3840x2160 | 1920x1080 |
Video data format | MPEG-4, H.264 | MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264 |
Mic jack | ||
Headphone jack | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | Built-In | Eye-Fi Connected |
Bluetooth | ||
NFC | ||
HDMI | ||
USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
GPS | None | BuiltIn |
Physical | ||
Environmental seal | ||
Water proof | ||
Dust proof | ||
Shock proof | ||
Crush proof | ||
Freeze proof | ||
Weight | 380g (0.84 lb) | 500g (1.10 lb) |
Dimensions | 117 x 68 x 39mm (4.6" x 2.7" x 1.5") | 124 x 92 x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO Overall score | not tested | 73 |
DXO Color Depth score | not tested | 23.0 |
DXO Dynamic range score | not tested | 12.4 |
DXO Low light score | not tested | 816 |
Other | ||
Battery life | 350 photographs | 380 photographs |
Battery form | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
Battery model | - | NP-FW50 |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom) | Yes (2 or 10 sec) |
Time lapse recording | ||
Storage media | SD/SDHC/SDXC card (UHS-I supported) | SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo |
Storage slots | Single | Single |
Retail cost | $599 | $800 |