Clicky

Olympus E-300 vs Sony HX300

Portability
67
Imaging
41
Features
31
Overall
37
Olympus E-300 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX300 front
Portability
63
Imaging
44
Features
51
Overall
46

Olympus E-300 vs Sony HX300 Key Specs

Olympus E-300
(Full Review)
  • 8MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 1.8" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 400 (Increase to 1600)
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 624g - 147 x 85 x 64mm
  • Revealed January 2005
  • Other Name is EVOLT E-300
  • New Model is Olympus E-330
Sony HX300
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 80 - 12800
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-1200mm (F2.8-6.3) lens
  • 623g - 130 x 103 x 93mm
  • Revealed February 2013
  • Earlier Model is Sony HX200V
  • Replacement is Sony HX400V
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Olympus E-300 vs Sony HX300 Overview

In this write-up, we will be looking at the Olympus E-300 and Sony HX300, one being a Advanced DSLR and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by brands Olympus and Sony. There is a crucial difference between the sensor resolutions of the E-300 (8MP) and HX300 (20MP) and the E-300 (Four Thirds) and HX300 (1/2.3") possess totally different sensor sizes.

Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

The E-300 was unveiled 9 years prior to the HX300 and that is quite a serious gap as far as tech is concerned. The two cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-300 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony HX300 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before delving through a in-depth comparison, below is a brief synopsis of how the E-300 matches up vs the HX300 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus E-300 over the Sony HX300

 E-300 HX300 

Reasons to pick Sony HX300 over the Olympus E-300

 HX300 E-300 
RevealedFebruary 2013January 2005More recent by 98 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen sizing3"1.8"Bigger screen (+1.2")
Screen resolution921k134kCrisper screen (+787k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-300 and Sony HX300

 E-300 HX300 
Manually focus Very exact focus
Selfie screen Neither includes selfie screen
Touch screen Neither includes Touch screen

Olympus E-300 vs Sony HX300 Physical Comparison

When you are looking to lug around your camera regularly, you will need to factor its weight and volume. The Olympus E-300 features outside dimensions of 147mm x 85mm x 64mm (5.8" x 3.3" x 2.5") and a weight of 624 grams (1.38 lbs) while the Sony HX300 has sizing of 130mm x 103mm x 93mm (5.1" x 4.1" x 3.7") with a weight of 623 grams (1.37 lbs).

See the Olympus E-300 and Sony HX300 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you have chosen during that time. Here is the front view size comparison of the E-300 versus the HX300.

Olympus E-300 vs Sony HX300 size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability grade of the E-300 and HX300 is 67 and 63 respectively.

Olympus E-300 vs Sony HX300 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-300 vs Sony HX300 Sensor Comparison

Generally, it is very hard to visualise the gap between sensor measurements just by reading through specifications. The graphic underneath will help provide you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-300 and HX300.

To sum up, each of the cameras offer different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-300 with its bigger sensor will make getting shallow DOF easier and the Sony HX300 will give you greater detail having an extra 12 Megapixels. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop pictures a little more aggressively. The older E-300 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.

Olympus E-300 vs Sony HX300 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-300 vs Sony HX300 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-300 vs Sony HX300 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-300 Portrait photography factors
Sony HX300 Portrait photography factors
48
focusing manually
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
doesn't have liveview
MP count low (8MP)
42
you can focus manually
decent MP (20 megapixels)
external flash not possible
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Street Comparison

Olympus E-300 as a Street photography camera
Sony HX300 as a Street photography camera
51
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
screen is fixed
no image stabilization
max ISO too low (400)
50
tilting screen
image stabilization (Optical)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
heavier than competition (623 grams)
Photography Glossary

Sports Comparison

Olympus E-300 Sports photography features
Sony HX300 Sports photography features
37
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with phase detect autofocus
doesn't have liveview
max fps very slow (3.0 frames per second)
no image stabilization
MP count low (8MP)
55
incredible zoom range (24-1200mm 50.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (20 megapixels)
provides tracking autofocus
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect autofocus
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Travel Comparison

Olympus E-300 Travel photography factors
Sony HX300 Travel photography factors
45
flash built-in
missing Timelapse recording
MP count low (8 megapixels)
display is not selfie friendly
54
decent MP (20MP)
built-in flash
really wide (24mm)
long reach (1200mm)
missing Time Lapse recording
heavier than competition (623g)
screen is not selfie friendly
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-300 Landscape photography details
Sony HX300 Landscape photography details
43
focusing manually
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
small screen (1.8 inches)
doesn't have liveview
no image stabilization
MP count low (8 megapixels)
max ISO too low (400)
missing Timelapse recording
48
you can focus manually
really wide (24mm)
decent sized screen (3 inch)
image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (20MP)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
missing Time Lapse recording
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-300 Vlogging information
Sony HX300 Vlogging information
9
lack of video recording
25
really wide (24mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
high video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
screen is not selfie friendly
missing external mic socket
heavier than competition (623 grams)
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

Olympus E-300 vs Sony HX300 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-300 and Sony HX300
 Olympus E-300Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX300
General Information
Brand Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus E-300 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX300
Also called EVOLT E-300 -
Class Advanced DSLR Small Sensor Superzoom
Revealed 2005-01-10 2013-02-20
Physical type Mid-size SLR SLR-like (bridge)
Sensor Information
Sensor type CCD BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.16 x 4.62mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 28.5mm²
Sensor resolution 8MP 20MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 -
Max resolution 3264 x 2448 5184 x 3888
Max native ISO 400 12800
Max enhanced ISO 1600 -
Minimum native ISO 100 80
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Total focus points 3 9
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 24-1200mm (50.0x)
Max aperture - f/2.8-6.3
Amount of lenses 45 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.8
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Tilting
Screen sizing 1.8" 3"
Resolution of screen 134 thousand dots 921 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) Electronic
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shutter rate 3.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash settings Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye -
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize 1/180 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60, 50 fps)
Max video resolution None 1920x1080
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 1.0 (1.5 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 624 grams (1.38 pounds) 623 grams (1.37 pounds)
Dimensions 147 x 85 x 64mm (5.8" x 3.3" x 2.5") 130 x 103 x 93mm (5.1" x 4.1" x 3.7")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) -
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II) -
Card slots Single Single
Launch pricing $800 $339