Olympus E-PM1 vs Sony A330

Let's look more closely at the Olympus E-PM1 vs Sony A330, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. The resolution of the E-PM1 (12MP) and the A330 (10MP) is fairly close but the E-PM1 (Four Thirds) and A330 (APS-C) provide totally different sensor measurements.

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The E-PM1 was revealed 2 years later than the A330 and that is a fairly serious difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-PM1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A330 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before going straight to a detailed comparison, here is a brief summary of how the E-PM1 matches up against the A330 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN E-PM1 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A330. The full galleries are viewable at Olympus E-PM1 Gallery & Sony A330 Gallery.

For those who are intending to carry your camera regularly, you should factor in its weight and volume. The Olympus E-PM1 provides physical measurements of 110mm x 64mm x 34mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.3") accompanied by a weight of 265 grams (0.58 lbs) while the Sony A330 has sizing of 128mm x 97mm x 71mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.8") accompanied by a weight of 529 grams (1.17 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-PM1 vs Sony A330 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you have chosen at that time. Following is a front view overall size comparison of the E-PM1 compared to the A330.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability grade of the E-PM1 and A330 is 89 and 67 respectively.

Generally, it's tough to visualise the gap in sensor sizing only by viewing a spec sheet. The photograph underneath might offer you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PM1 and A330.

As you can see, both of these cameras come with different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-PM1 using its smaller sensor will make achieving shallower DOF harder and the Olympus E-PM1 will provide you with greater detail because of its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will enable you to crop photos a good deal more aggressively. The fresher E-PM1 will have a benefit when it comes to sensor technology.