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Olympus E-PM1 vs Sony A380

Portability
89
Imaging
48
Features
52
Overall
49
Olympus PEN E-PM1 front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A380 front
Portability
68
Imaging
53
Features
54
Overall
53

Olympus E-PM1 vs Sony A380 Key Specs

Olympus E-PM1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 12800
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 265g - 110 x 64 x 34mm
  • Revealed November 2011
  • Replacement is Olympus E-PM2
Sony A380
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 2.7" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 519g - 128 x 97 x 71mm
  • Announced August 2009
  • Replaced the Sony A350
  • Renewed by Sony A390
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Olympus E-PM1 vs Sony A380 Overview

Let's look more closely at the Olympus E-PM1 vs Sony A380, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by brands Olympus and Sony. The sensor resolution of the E-PM1 (12MP) and the A380 (14MP) is pretty similar but the E-PM1 (Four Thirds) and A380 (APS-C) enjoy totally different sensor sizing.

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The E-PM1 was brought out 2 years later than the A380 and that is quite a sizable gap as far as technology is concerned. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PM1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A380 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before going through a comprehensive comparison, below is a brief view of how the E-PM1 scores against the A380 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus E-PM1 over the Sony A380

 E-PM1 A380 
AnnouncedNovember 2011August 2009More recent by 28 months
Screen dimension3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution460k230kClearer screen (+230k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony A380 over the Olympus E-PM1

 A380 E-PM1 
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen

Common features in the Olympus E-PM1 and Sony A380

 E-PM1 A380 
Focus manually Dial exact focusing
Selfie screen No selfie screen
Touch screen Neither offers Touch screen

Olympus E-PM1 vs Sony A380 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is looking to lug around your camera frequently, you'll need to factor its weight and volume. The Olympus E-PM1 offers physical measurements of 110mm x 64mm x 34mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.3") along with a weight of 265 grams (0.58 lbs) whilst the Sony A380 has sizing of 128mm x 97mm x 71mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.8") along with a weight of 519 grams (1.14 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-PM1 vs Sony A380 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you have attached at that time. Here is the front view sizing comparison of the E-PM1 vs the A380.

Olympus E-PM1 vs Sony A380 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-PM1 and A380 is 89 and 68 respectively.

Olympus E-PM1 vs Sony A380 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PM1 vs Sony A380 Sensor Comparison

Normally, its tough to envision the difference between sensor measurements purely by going over technical specs. The graphic here will offer you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PM1 and A380.

As you can tell, both of these cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-PM1 due to its tinier sensor will make getting shallow DOF tougher and the Sony A380 will deliver extra detail having its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop photographs much more aggressively. The newer E-PM1 will have an edge in sensor innovation.

Olympus E-PM1 vs Sony A380 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PM1 vs Sony A380 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PM1 vs Sony A380 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PM1 Portrait photography advice
Sony A380 Portrait photography advice
60
you can focus manually
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
includes face detect autofocus
supports RAW files
megapixel count low (12MP)
71
manual focus
megapixel count decent (14 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
has face detection focusing
saves RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PM1 Street photography highlights
Sony A380 Street photography highlights
75
image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
no moving screen
76
has a tilting screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
saves RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PM1 as a Sports photography camera
Sony A380 as a Sports photography camera
49
image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
includes tracking focus
max fps very slow (6.0 frames/s)
megapixel count low (12MP)
no phase detect autofocus
59
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count decent (14 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
supports phase detect AF
low frames per second (3.0 frames per second)
low battery (500 shots)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PM1 Travel photography information
Sony A380 Travel photography information
45
doesn't have Timelapse recording
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
does not posses selfie friendly display
53
megapixel count decent (14 megapixels)
built-in flash
missing Time Lapse function
low battery (500 per charge)
screen isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PM1 Landscape photography highlights
Sony A380 Landscape photography highlights
65
you can focus manually
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3")
image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
megapixel count low (12MP)
doesn't have Timelapse recording
61
manual focus
swap lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count decent (14MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
saves RAW files
screen is somewhat small (2.7 inch)
low battery (500 CIPA)
missing Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PM1 Vlogging details
Sony A380 Vlogging details
34
image stabilization (Sensor based)
includes face detect autofocus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
does not posses selfie friendly display
doesn't have microphone support
9
lack of video recording
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Olympus E-PM1 vs Sony A380 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PM1 and Sony A380
 Olympus PEN E-PM1Sony Alpha DSLR-A380
General Information
Brand Olympus Sony
Model Olympus PEN E-PM1 Sony Alpha DSLR-A380
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Entry-Level DSLR
Revealed 2011-11-23 2009-08-24
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic VI Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 23.6 x 15.8mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 372.9mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 14MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4032 x 3024 4592 x 3056
Highest native ISO 12800 3200
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW support
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Number of focus points 35 9
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds Sony/Minolta Alpha
Number of lenses 107 143
Crop factor 2.1 1.5
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Tilting
Screen size 3 inches 2.7 inches
Resolution of screen 460 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Screen technology HyperCrystal LCD AR(Anti-Reflective) coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder coverage - 95%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.49x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 6.0 frames per sec 3.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range no built-in flash 10.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Wireless
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash sync 1/160 secs 1/160 secs
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) -
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 None
Video data format AVCHD, Motion JPEG -
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 265 grams (0.58 pounds) 519 grams (1.14 pounds)
Dimensions 110 x 64 x 34mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.3") 128 x 97 x 71mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.8")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 52 67
DXO Color Depth score 21.0 22.6
DXO Dynamic range score 10.3 11.8
DXO Low light score 499 614
Other
Battery life 330 shots 500 shots
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLS-5 NP-FH50
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo
Storage slots Single Single
Launch price $499 $899