Olympus E-PL2 has a
12.0MP Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Truepic V processor. On the other hand, Canon 500D has a
15.0MP APS-C (22.3 x 14.9 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Digic 4 processor.
Below you can see the E-PL2 and 500D sensor size comparison.
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Olympus E-PL2 and Canon 500D Cameras
As seen above, Canon 500D has a 1.5x Larger sensor area than Olympus E-PL2. Larger sensors give photographer more control on the depth of field and blurry background compared to smaller sensor when shot in same focal length and aperture.
DxOMark Sensor Scores
DxOMark is a benchmark that scientifically assesses image quality of camera sensors. It scores camera sensors for color depth (DXO Portrait), dynamic range (DXO Landscape) and low-light sensitivity (DXO Sports), and also gives them an overall score. Olympus E-PL2 and Canon 500D sensors have been tested by DxO and the results show that 500D has a better overall score of 63, 8 points higher compared to E-PL2's score of 55.
Model
Overall
Color Depth
Dynamic Range
Low-light ISO
Olympus E-PL2
55
21.4 bits
10.2 Evs
573 ISO
Canon 500D
63
21.7 bits
11.5 Evs
663 ISO
Sensor size sets the circle of confusion, so it drives how much depth of field each
of these bodies gives you at a given aperture. You can calculate it exactly for the
Olympus E-PL2
or the
Canon 500D ,
including hyperfocal distance.
One thing to watch when comparing these two: they have different sensor sizes
(Four Thirds versus APS-C),
so compare them at the same framing rather than the same focal length.
Put the same focal length on the smaller sensor and it will show less depth of
field, not more, because it also crops tighter. The calculator shows the
full frame equivalent focal length for each body so you can match the framing.
