Olympus E-PM2 vs Sony A850

The following is a extended assessment of the Olympus E-PM2 versus Sony A850, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Advanced DSLR by competitors Olympus and Sony. There is a substantial difference between the sensor resolutions of the E-PM2 (16MP) and A850 (25MP) and the E-PM2 (Four Thirds) and A850 (Full frame) provide totally different sensor sizing.

Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

The E-PM2 was brought out 3 years after the A850 which is quite a big difference as far as tech is concerned. Both the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-PM2 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A850 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before getting straight to a full comparison, here is a simple overview of how the E-PM2 grades against the A850 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Here is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN E-PM2 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A850. The entire galleries are viewable at Olympus E-PM2 Gallery & Sony A850 Gallery.

For anybody who is going to travel with your camera, you should take into account its weight and volume. The Olympus E-PM2 enjoys exterior dimensions of 110mm x 64mm x 34mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.3") along with a weight of 269 grams (0.59 lbs) and the Sony A850 has sizing of 156mm x 117mm x 82mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 3.2") accompanied by a weight of 895 grams (1.97 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-PM2 versus Sony A850 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you select during that time. Underneath is a front view physical size comparison of the E-PM2 versus the A850.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability rating of the E-PM2 and A850 is 89 and 54 respectively.

Oftentimes, it's hard to see the gap between sensor dimensions simply by going over specifications. The pic here may provide you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PM2 and A850.

Plainly, both of those cameras feature different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The E-PM2 featuring a tinier sensor will make getting shallower depth of field more difficult and the Sony A850 will offer you more detail having its extra 9 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also enable you to crop photos way more aggressively. The more recent E-PM2 will have an advantage when it comes to sensor tech.