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Olympus E-5 vs Sony HX7V

Portability
58
Imaging
48
Features
76
Overall
59
Olympus E-5 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX7V front
Portability
92
Imaging
39
Features
37
Overall
38

Olympus E-5 vs Sony HX7V Key Specs

Olympus E-5
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 800g - 143 x 117 x 75mm
  • Launched February 2011
  • Old Model is Olympus E-3
Sony HX7V
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 125 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-250mm (F3.5-5.5) lens
  • 208g - 102 x 58 x 29mm
  • Released July 2011
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Olympus E-5 vs Sony HX7V Overview

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.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-5 over the Sony HX7V

 E-5 HX7V 
Manually focus More exact focusing
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Reasons to pick Sony HX7V over the Olympus E-5

 HX7V E-5 
Screen resolution921k920kCrisper screen (+1k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-5 and Sony HX7V

 E-5 HX7V 
ReleasedFebruary 2011July 2011Same generation
Screen sizing3"3"Equivalent screen sizing
Touch friendly screen Neither provides Touch friendly screen

Olympus E-5 vs Sony HX7V Physical Comparison

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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Olympus E-5 vs Sony HX7V size comparison

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

Olympus E-5 vs Sony HX7V top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-5 vs Sony HX7V Sensor Comparison

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.

Olympus E-5 vs Sony HX7V sensor size comparison

Olympus E-5 vs Sony HX7V Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-5 vs Sony HX7V Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-5 Portrait photography information
Sony HX7V Portrait photography information
60
focusing manually
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
has face detect focusing
exports RAW formats
low resolution (12 megapixels)
30
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
lack of manual focus
manual exposure not available
no external flash support
sensor is small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-5 as a Street photography camera
Sony HX7V as a Street photography camera
71
screen articulates fully
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
environment sealing
56
image stabilization (Optical)
no articulating screen
sensor is small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-5 Sports photography advice
Sony HX7V Sports photography advice
59
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000 seconds)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
environment sealing
sensor has phase detect AF
max frames per second very slow (5.0 frames/s)
low resolution (12 megapixels)
39
image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
no shutter priority mode
sensor is small (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-5 Travel photography information
Sony HX7V Travel photography information
56
environment sealing
built-in flash
selfie friendly display
doesn't have Timelapse mode
low resolution (12 megapixels)
67
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
reasonably wide (25mm)
long zoom (250mm)
no Timelapse function
does not offer selfie friendly screen
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-5
Landscape photography with Sony HX7V
65
focusing manually
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
environment sealing
has dual storage slots
low resolution (12MP)
doesn't have Timelapse mode
42
reasonably wide (25mm)
decent sized screen (3")
image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
lack of manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
manual exposure not available
sensor is small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
no Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-5
Vlogging with Sony HX7V
64
selfie friendly display
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
has face detect focusing
includes microphone jack
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pxls)
32
reasonably wide (25mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
does not offer selfie friendly screen
no external microphone support
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Olympus E-5 vs Sony HX7V Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-5 and Sony HX7V
 Olympus E-5Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX7V
General Information
Make Olympus Sony
Model Olympus E-5 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX7V
Class Advanced DSLR Small Sensor Compact
Launched 2011-02-03 2011-07-19
Physical type Mid-size SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic V+ BIONZ
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 16MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 4:3 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 4032 x 3024 4608 x 3456
Maximum native ISO 6400 3200
Min native ISO 100 125
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Number of focus points 11 9
Cross focus points 11 -
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 25-250mm (10.0x)
Maximum aperture - f/3.5-5.5
Amount of lenses 45 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.8
Screen
Screen type Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Screen size 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 920k dots 921k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Screen tech HyperCrystal transmissive LCD XtraFine LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) None
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.58x -
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/8000 secs 1/1600 secs
Continuous shutter rate 5.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 18.00 m (at ISO 200) 4.80 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Fill-in Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize 1/250 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 800g (1.76 lbs) 208g (0.46 lbs)
Dimensions 143 x 117 x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") 102 x 58 x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 56 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 21.6 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 10.5 not tested
DXO Low light score 519 not tested
Other
Battery life 870 shots -
Battery style Battery Pack -
Battery model BLM-5 NP-BG1
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II)/SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Duo/Memory Stick Pro Duo, Memory Stick Pro-HG Duo
Card slots 2 1
Launch cost $1,700 $499