Olympus E-5 vs Sony HX7V

In this article, we will be matching up the Olympus E-5 versus Sony HX7V, one is a Advanced DSLR and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. There exists a significant gap among the resolutions of the E-5 (12MP) and HX7V (16MP) and the E-5 (Four Thirds) and HX7V (1/2.3") feature different sensor dimensions.

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The E-5 was manufactured 5 months earlier than the HX7V so they are of a similar generation. The two cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-5 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony HX7V being a Compact camera.

Before getting through a more detailed comparison, below is a simple summary of how the E-5 grades versus the HX7V with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

The following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus E-5 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX7V. The entire galleries are viewable at Olympus E-5 Gallery and Sony HX7V Gallery.

For anyone who is looking to travel with your camera frequently, you are going to need to factor in its weight and volume. The Olympus E-5 provides physical dimensions 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 HX7V has sizing of 102mm x 58mm x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1") along with a weight of 208 grams (0.46 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-5 versus Sony HX7V in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you use during that time. Following is the front view over all size comparison of the E-5 versus the HX7V.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-5 and HX7V is 58 and 92 respectively.

Sometimes, it can be difficult to picture the contrast in sensor dimensions purely by researching specs. The pic below will give you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the E-5 and HX7V.

As you can plainly see, both the cameras offer different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The E-5 due to its bigger sensor is going to make getting shallow DOF less difficult and the Sony HX7V will result in extra detail due to its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop pictures a little more aggressively.