Olympus E-5 vs Sony HX200V

Let's look a little more in depth at the Olympus E-5 and Sony HX200V, one being a Advanced DSLR and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by competitors Olympus and Sony. There is a crucial difference among the image resolutions of the E-5 (12MP) and HX200V (18MP) and the E-5 (Four Thirds) and HX200V (1/2.3") come with totally different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The E-5 was announced 15 months before the HX200V making the cameras a generation apart from each other. Both of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-5 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony HX200V being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before going straight into a complete comparison, below is a concise introduction of how the E-5 matches up versus the HX200V in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus E-5 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX200V. The whole galleries are provided at Olympus E-5 Gallery and Sony HX200V Gallery.

For those who are going to carry your camera regularly, you will want to factor its weight and volume. The Olympus E-5 comes with external measurements of 143mm x 117mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") accompanied by a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs) while the Sony HX200V has sizing of 122mm x 87mm x 93mm (4.8" x 3.4" x 3.7") accompanied by a weight of 583 grams (1.29 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-5 and Sony HX200V in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you are working with at that time. Following is the front view physical size comparison of the E-5 versus the HX200V.

Looking at size and weight, the portability grade of the E-5 and HX200V is 58 and 66 respectively.

Oftentimes, it's hard to envision the gap in sensor sizing merely by seeing a spec sheet. The visual underneath should give you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the E-5 and HX200V.

As you can see, both the cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-5 with its larger sensor will make shooting shallow DOF easier and the Sony HX200V will produce greater detail with its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution will allow you to crop photos much more aggressively. The older E-5 will be behind with regard to sensor innovation.