Olympus E-1 vs Sony HX50V

Lets look a bit more in depth at the Olympus E-1 and Sony HX50V, one being a Pro DSLR and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by companies Olympus and Sony. There is a crucial difference among the resolutions of the E-1 (5MP) and HX50V (20MP) and the E-1 (Four Thirds) and HX50V (1/2.3") have totally different sensor sizes.

Photography Glossary

The E-1 was announced 10 years before the HX50V and that is a fairly serious gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-1 being a Large SLR camera and the Sony HX50V being a Compact camera.

Before diving right into a step-by-step comparison, here is a brief synopsis of how the E-1 grades against the HX50V with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

This is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus E-1 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX50V. The whole galleries are available at Olympus E-1 Gallery and Sony HX50V Gallery.

In case you're planning to carry your camera regularly, you will have to factor in its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-1 has got physical dimensions of 141mm x 104mm x 81mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.2") with a weight of 735 grams (1.62 lbs) while the Sony HX50V has measurements of 108mm x 64mm x 38mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") with a weight of 272 grams (0.60 lbs).

See the Olympus E-1 and Sony HX50V in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you have chosen at that time. Underneath is a front view measurements comparison of the E-1 compared to the HX50V.

Looking at size and weight, the portability score of the E-1 and HX50V is 59 and 89 respectively.

In many cases, its hard to envision the gap in sensor sizing purely by researching specifications. The graphic underneath will provide you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-1 and HX50V.

To sum up, both cameras feature different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The E-1 having a bigger sensor will make shooting shallow depth of field simpler and the Sony HX50V will render more detail with its extra 15MP. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop photographs way more aggressively. The older E-1 will be behind in sensor innovation.