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Sony a5100 vs Olympus E-PL6

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Sony a5100

24 MP | APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) CMOS Sensor

Sony a5100
$448.00

CHECK TODAY's PRICE
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Olympus E-PL6

16 MP | Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) CMOS Sensor

Olympus E-PL6
$299.99

CHECK TODAY's PRICE
Sony a5100 vs Olympus E-PL6 Comparison Overview

In this review, we will be comparing a5100 and E-PL6, two Entry-Level Mirrorless cameras from Sony and Olympus. Both a5100 and E-PL6 were launched within the same month so we are expecting this to be a fair comparison regarding age and available technology level. Sony a5100 has a 24.0MP APS-C sensor whereas Olympus E-PL6 has a 16.0MP Four Thirds sensor.

Let's have a brief look at the main features of Sony a5100 and Olympus E-PL6 before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Sony a5100 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2014-08-17
  • 24MP - APS-C CMOS Sensor
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Sony E (NEX) Mount
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • 6 fps continuous shooting
  • 1920 x 1080 video resolution
  • Built-in Wireless
  • 283g. 110 x 63 x 36 mm
  • Replaced Sony Alpha a5000 Compare

Olympus E-PL6 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2014-08-01
  • 16MP - Four Thirds CMOS Sensor
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • 8 fps continuous shooting
  • 1920 x 1080 video resolution
  • 325g. 111 x 64 x 38 mm

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Sony a5100 and Olympus E-PL6 compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Sony Alpha a5100 over Olympus PEN E-PL6
Wireless Connection Built-In vs Eye-Fi Connected Better connectivity
Built-in Flash Yes vs No Useful in low-light
Max Sensor Resolution 24 MP vs 16 MP 50% more pixels
Number of Focus Points 179 vs 35 144 more focus points
LCD Screen Resolution 922k dots vs 460k dots 100% higher resolution screen
Battery Life 400 shots vs 360 shots 40 more frames with a single charge
Weight 283 g vs 325 g 42 g lighter
NFC Connection Yes vs No Easy wireless connectivity with compatible devices
Smartphone_remote control Yes vs No Remote control your camera with a smartphone
Reasons to choose Olympus PEN E-PL6 over Sony Alpha a5100
Built-in Image Stabilization Sensor-shift vs None All the lenses are stabilized
External Flash Shoe Yes vs No Better for flash photography
Continuous Shooting 8.0fps vs 6.0fps 2 fps faster
Timelapse Recording Yes vs With optional app creative shooting
Flash Coverage 7.0m vs 4.0m 3m longer range
Common Strengths of Sony Alpha a5100 and Olympus PEN E-PL6
Articulating Screen Yes vs Yes Flexible shooting positions
Touch Screen Yes vs Yes Easy control of camera functions
RAW Support Yes vs Yes Better image quality
Face Detection Focus Yes vs Yes very handy for portraits
AE Bracketing Yes vs Yes Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR
Common Weaknesses of Sony Alpha a5100 and Olympus PEN E-PL6
Environmental Sealing No vs No not suitable for tough conditions
Sony a5100 vs Olympus E-PL6: Physical Specs and Body features Comparison

Size and weight is a big decision factor when you are trying to find the ideal camera for your needs. In this section, We are going to illustrate Sony a5100 and Olympus E-PL6 side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions.

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Sony a5100 and Olympus E-PL6. Sony a5100 is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 1mm narrower, 1mm shorter and 2mm thinner than Olympus E-PL6.

Sony a5100 vs Olympus E-PL6 Camera Size Comparison - Front View


Here is the back view size comparison of Sony a5100 and Olympus E-PL6.

Sony a5100 vs Olympus E-PL6 Camera Size Comparison - Back View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Sony a5100 and Olympus E-PL6.
Sony a5100 vs Olympus E-PL6 Camera Size Comparison - Top View

Sony a5100 vs Olympus E-PL6 Detailed Size Comparison

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Sony a5100 is 42g lighter than the Olympus E-PL6 but we don't think this will make a significant difference.

Also keep in mind that body weight is not the only deciding factor when comparing two interchangeable camera bodies, you have to also take into account the lenses that you will be using with these bodies. Since Sony a5100 has an APS-C sized sensor and Olympus E-PL6 has a smaller Four Thirds sensor, Olympus E-PL6's lenses for a similar focal length and aperture will generally be lighter and smaller than the Sony a5100 lenses.

Weight Comparison

Mirrorless Cameras

a5100
E-PL6
Min
Average
Max
Thickness Comparison

Mirrorless Cameras

a5100
E-PL6
Min
Average
Max

Weather Sealing

Unfortunately neither Sony Alpha a5100 nor Olympus PEN E-PL6 provides any type of weather sealing in their body, so you have to give extra care especially when you are shooting outdoors. If weather sealing is a must-have feature for you, check these sections:
Top Mirrorless Cameras with Weather Sealing

LCD Screen Size and Features

Sony a5100 and Olympus E-PL6's LCD screens has the same diagonal size of 3".

Sony a5100 vs Olympus E-PL6: Sensor Comparison

Sony a5100 has a 24.0MP APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Bionz X processor. On the other hand, Olympus E-PL6 has a 16.0MP Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features TruePic VI processor.

Sony a5100's sensor provides 8MP more than Olympus E-PL6's sensor, which gives a significant advantage in real life. You can print your images larger or crop more freely. On the other hand, please keep in mind that Max sensor resolution is not the only determinant of resolving power. Factors such as the optical elements, low pass filter, pixel size and sensor technology also affects the final resolution of the captured image.

Below you can see the a5100 and E-PL6 sensor size comparison.

Sony a5100 vs Olympus E-PL6 Sensor Size Comparison


As seen above, Sony a5100 has a 1.6x Larger sensor area than Olympus E-PL6. 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.

What types of Photography are Sony a5100 and Olympus E-PL6 Good for?
In this section, we rank and compare Sony a5100 and Olympus E-PL6 for five different photography types in order to make your decision process easier in case you are specifically interested in one or more of these areas.

Sony a5100 for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE

Olympus E-PL6 for Portrait Photography

GOOD
Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 24.0MP
Average Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
No Built-in Viewfinder
Read the details
Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
Optional External Viewfinder
Average Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details

Sony a5100 for Street Photography

GOOD

Olympus E-PL6 for Street Photography

EXCELLENT
Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Tilting LCD Screen
Medium sized Body
No Image Stabilization
No Built-in Viewfinder
Read the details
Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Tilting LCD Screen
Optional External Viewfinder
Medium sized Body
Read the details

Sony a5100 for Sports Photography

GOOD

Olympus E-PL6 for Sports Photography

GOOD
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
179 Focus Points
Good Low Light ISO
Wireless Connection
Average Ergonomics&Handling
Average Continuous Shooting: 6.0fps
No Image Stabilization
No Built-in Viewfinder
Environmental Sealings
Read the details
Image Stabilization
Fast Continuous Shooting: 8.0fps
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
35 Focus Points
Optional External Viewfinder
Average Ergonomics&Handling
Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Sony a5100 for Daily Photography

GOOD

Olympus E-PL6 for Daily Photography

GOOD
Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) sensor
283g
Medium size Body
Read the details
Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Medium size Body
325g
Read the details

Sony a5100 for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE

Olympus E-PL6 for Landscape Photography

POOR
Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 24.0MP
Live-view
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details
Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Live-view
Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details


Olympus E-PL6 vs Sony a5100 Comparison of Available Lenses
Which camera has more lenses?

Number of available lenses is a big decision factor while choosing your interchangeable lens camera. When we look at the available lenses for these two cameras, we see that Sony a5100 has an advantage over Olympus E-PL6. There are 115 lenses for Sony a5100's Sony E (NEX) mount, on the other hand there are only 101 lenses for Olympus E-PL6's Micro Four Thirds lens mount.

Another important factor is the availability of image stabilization. Olympus E-PL6 has a big advantage in this regard because it has a sensor based image stabilization which means that all the lenses mounted to this body will be stabilized. On the other hand, Sony a5100 doesn't have this feature so you have to buy a lens with optical stabilization feature. Currently there are 30 lenses for Sony E (NEX) mount with Optical Image Stabilization features.

Lens Type # of Sony a5100 Lenses # of Olympus E-PL6 Lenses
Standard Zoom 10 14
Standard Prime 17 12
Wideangle Zoom 6 5
Wideangle Prime 37 27
Telephoto Zoom 9 17
Telephoto Prime 16 8
SuperZoom 8 8
Wideangle Fisheye Prime 2 5
Macro Prime 8 4
Perspective Control Prime 2 n/a
Telephoto Mirror Prime n/a 1
TOTAL 115 101
Sony a5100 vs Olympus E-PL6: OUR DECISION

You may have already made your decision about which camera suits better for your needs and your budget so far but in case you wonder how we rated Sony a5100 and Olympus E-PL6, below you can find their scores in five different aspects. Our Decision Algorithm dynamically scores cameras using 63 different specs, current price and DxO Mark scores (where possible) in order to make a more objective and consistent comparison.

Here is a summary of how Sony a5100 and Olympus E-PL6 scores compare:

Sony a5100
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #30 out of 124 in Rangefinder-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #177 out of 1190 in all Cameras
Olympus E-PL6
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #56 out of 124 in Rangefinder-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #266 out of 1190 in all Cameras

Sony a5100 scores higher than the Olympus E-PL6 thanks to its better general imaging quality, compact size and higher value for the money. On the other hand, Olympus E-PL6 has some extra features which may become a game changer if you have some specific requirements.
We recommend you to read our detailed Pro's and Con's section and see if any Pro of Olympus E-PL6 is a must-have for you. If not, choose the Sony a5100.

Sony a5100
Sony a5100
$448.00

Olympus E-PL6
Olympus E-PL6
$299.99

Olympus E-PL6 vs Sony a5100 Specs Table
Detailed comparison of specifications
General Sony Alpha a5100 Olympus PEN E-PL6
Brand Sony Olympus
Announced 2014-08-17 2014-08-01
Body Type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor
Type CMOS CMOS
Size APS-C Four Thirds
Dimensions 23.5 x 15.6 mm 17.3 x 13 mm
Area 366.60mm2 224.90mm2
Megapixels 24 megapixels 16 Megapixels
Max Resolution 6000 x 4000 4608 x 3456
Max Native Light sensitivity 25,600 ISO 25,600 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity 100 ISO 100 ISO
RAW Support
Autofocus
AF Touch
AF Continuous
AF Single
AF Tracking
AF Selective
AF Center
AF Multi Area
AF Live View
AF Face Detection
AF Contrast Detection
AF Phase Detection
Number of Focus Points 179 35
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount Sony E (NEX) Micro Four Thirds
Number of Available Lenses 115 101
Screen
Type Tilting Tilting
Size 3" 3"
Resolution 922k dots 460k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder None Electronic (optional)
Photography Features
Max Shutter Speed 1/4000s 1/4000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization No Sensor-shift
Built-in Flash
Flash Range 4.00 m (at ISO 100) 7.00 m (bundled FL-LM1)
External Flash
Continuous Shooting 6.0 fps 8.0 fps
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution 1920 x 1080 1920 x 1080
Video Formats MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S MPEG-4, Motion JPEG
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity Built-In Eye-Fi Connected
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight 283g 325g
Dimensions 110 x 63 x 36mm 111 x 64 x 38mm
Battery Life 400 shots 360 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording With Downloadable App
GPS None None
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score 80 not tested
DxO Color Depth 23.8 not tested
DxO Dynamic Range 12.7 not tested
DxO Low Light ISO 1347 not tested
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