Olympus E-PM1 vs Sony a3500

On this page, we will be comparing the Olympus E-PM1 and Sony a3500, both Entry-Level Mirrorless digital cameras by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. There is a large difference between the image resolutions of the E-PM1 (12MP) and a3500 (20MP) and the E-PM1 (Four Thirds) and a3500 (APS-C) boast totally different sensor dimensions.

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The E-PM1 was manufactured 3 years prior to the a3500 and that is quite a serious difference as far as tech is concerned. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PM1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony a3500 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting into a thorough comparison, here is a concise highlight of how the E-PM1 matches up versus the a3500 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus PEN E-PM1 & Sony Alpha a3500. The entire galleries are provided at Olympus E-PM1 Gallery & Sony a3500 Gallery.

In case you're planning to lug around your camera regularly, you will need to factor its weight and size. The Olympus E-PM1 has physical dimensions of 110mm x 64mm x 34mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.3") with a weight of 265 grams (0.58 lbs) whilst the Sony a3500 has specifications of 128mm x 91mm x 85mm (5.0" x 3.6" x 3.3") and a weight of 411 grams (0.91 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-PM1 and Sony a3500 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you are utilising at that time. Underneath is a front view size comparison of the E-PM1 compared to the a3500.

Using size and weight, the portability rating of the E-PM1 and a3500 is 89 and 69 respectively.

Usually, it can be difficult to envision the gap between sensor measurements merely by checking technical specs. The visual here should give you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PM1 and a3500.

As you have seen, each of the cameras have different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-PM1 featuring a tinier sensor will make getting shallow DOF trickier and the Sony a3500 will give you more detail due to its extra 8MP. Higher resolution will enable you to crop shots a bit more aggressively. The older E-PM1 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor tech.