Olympus E-PM1 vs Sony A57

Here, we are matching up the Olympus E-PM1 vs Sony A57, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Olympus and Sony. There exists a huge gap among the sensor resolutions of the E-PM1 (12MP) and A57 (16MP) and the E-PM1 (Four Thirds) and A57 (APS-C) boast different sensor sizing.

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The E-PM1 was introduced 9 months before the A57 so they are both of a similar generation. The two cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-PM1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A57 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before going straight to a in-depth comparison, here is a quick view of how the E-PM1 scores vs the A57 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus PEN E-PM1 and Sony SLT-A57. The whole galleries are available at Olympus E-PM1 Gallery and Sony A57 Gallery.

For those who are going to lug around your camera regularly, you will need to think about its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-PM1 has got outer dimensions of 110mm x 64mm x 34mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.3") accompanied by a weight of 265 grams (0.58 lbs) and the Sony A57 has measurements of 132mm x 98mm x 81mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.2") accompanied by a weight of 618 grams (1.36 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-PM1 vs Sony A57 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you are employing at the time. Underneath is a front view proportions comparison of the E-PM1 versus the A57.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-PM1 and A57 is 89 and 64 respectively.

Quite often, it can be tough to imagine the difference in sensor measurements just by looking through specifications. The photograph underneath might give you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PM1 and A57.

Plainly, each of these cameras come with different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-PM1 using its smaller sensor is going to make getting shallow DOF more difficult and the Sony A57 will result in extra detail using its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will enable you to crop pics a good deal more aggressively. The older E-PM1 will be behind when it comes to sensor innovation.