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Olympus E-5 vs Sony HX9V

Portability
58
Imaging
48
Features
76
Overall
59
Olympus E-5 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX9V front
Portability
91
Imaging
39
Features
46
Overall
41

Olympus E-5 vs Sony HX9V Key Specs

Olympus E-5
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • 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
  • Superseded the Olympus E-3
Sony HX9V
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-384mm (F3.3-5.9) lens
  • 245g - 105 x 59 x 34mm
  • Launched July 2011
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-5 vs Sony HX9V Overview

Its time to look much closer at the Olympus E-5 versus Sony HX9V, former being a Advanced DSLR while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by brands Olympus and Sony. There is a substantial difference among the resolutions of the E-5 (12MP) and HX9V (16MP) and the E-5 (Four Thirds) and HX9V (1/2.3") come with totally different sensor sizing.

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The E-5 was unveiled 5 months earlier than the HX9V and they are both of a similar age. The two cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-5 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony HX9V being a Compact camera.

Before getting through a in-depth comparison, below is a simple view of how the E-5 grades versus the HX9V with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-5 over the Sony HX9V

 E-5 HX9V 
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Reasons to pick Sony HX9V over the Olympus E-5

 HX9V E-5 
Display resolution921k920kClearer display (+1k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-5 and Sony HX9V

 E-5 HX9V 
LaunchedFebruary 2011July 2011Same age
Manual focus More precise focus
Display dimension3"3"Identical display measurement
Touch friendly display Neither includes Touch friendly display

Olympus E-5 vs Sony HX9V Physical Comparison

When you are intending to carry your camera regularly, you will need to factor in its weight and size. The Olympus E-5 features outside dimensions of 143mm x 117mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") having a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs) whilst the Sony HX9V has specifications of 105mm x 59mm x 34mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3") having a weight of 245 grams (0.54 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-5 versus Sony HX9V in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you use at that time. Below is the front view proportions comparison of the E-5 compared to the HX9V.

Olympus E-5 vs Sony HX9V size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability score of the E-5 and HX9V is 58 and 91 respectively.

Olympus E-5 vs Sony HX9V top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-5 vs Sony HX9V Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, it's difficult to visualise the contrast in sensor sizing just by going through specs. The graphic underneath will help offer you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-5 and HX9V.

As you can plainly see, the two cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The E-5 with its larger sensor will make getting bokeh simpler and the Sony HX9V will show greater detail having an extra 4MP. Greater resolution will allow you to crop photos somewhat more aggressively.

Olympus E-5 vs Sony HX9V sensor size comparison

Olympus E-5 vs Sony HX9V Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-5 vs Sony HX9V Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-5 Portrait photography info
Sony HX9V Portrait photography info
60
manual focus
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
offers face detect autofocus
saves RAW files
resolution not great (12MP)
39
has manual focus
resolution is good (16MP)
cannot use external flash
very small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW support
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-5 as a Street photography camera
Sony HX9V as a Street photography camera
71
fully articulated screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
environment proof
61
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competitors in class (245 grams)
fixed screen
very small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-5
Sports photography with Sony HX9V
59
great max shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
environment proof
comes with phase detect autofocus
max fps very slow (5.0 fps)
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
44
incredible zoom range (24-384mm 16.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Optical)
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
no shutter priority mode
very small sensor (1/2.3")
no phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-5 Travel photography information
Sony HX9V Travel photography information
56
environment proof
has built in flash
display is selfie friendly
lack of Timelapse mode
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
69
lighter than competitors in class (245 grams)
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
relatively wide (24mm)
very long zoom (384mm)
does not have Timelapse function
display isn't selfie friendly
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-5 Landscape photography highlights
Sony HX9V Landscape photography highlights
65
manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
environment proof
has dual storage slots
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
lack of Timelapse mode
49
has manual focus
relatively wide (24mm)
screen size is good (3")
image stabilization (Optical)
resolution is good (16MP)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW support
does not have Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-5 as a Vlogging camera
Sony HX9V as a Vlogging camera
64
display is selfie friendly
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
offers face detect autofocus
does have microphone jack
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pixels)
33
relatively wide (24mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lighter than competitors in class (245 grams)
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
display isn't selfie friendly
does not have microphone support
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Olympus E-5 vs Sony HX9V Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-5 and Sony HX9V
 Olympus E-5Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX9V
General Information
Company Olympus Sony
Model Olympus E-5 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX9V
Category Advanced DSLR Small Sensor Superzoom
Launched 2011-02-03 2011-07-19
Physical type Mid-size SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Processor 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 12 megapixels 16 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 4:3 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4032 x 3024 4608 x 3456
Highest native ISO 6400 3200
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW format
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Number of focus points 11 9
Cross focus points 11 -
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 24-384mm (16.0x)
Maximal aperture - f/3.3-5.9
Available lenses 45 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.8
Screen
Display type Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Display size 3" 3"
Resolution of display 920 thousand dots 921 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Display tech HyperCrystal transmissive LCD XtraFine LCD display with TruBlack technology
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) None
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.58x -
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/8000 seconds 1/1600 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 5.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 18.00 m (at ISO 200) 4.00 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Fill-in Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/250 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 1280 x 720 (30fps), 640 x 480 (30fps)
Highest 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
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 800g (1.76 pounds) 245g (0.54 pounds)
Dimensions 143 x 117 x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") 105 x 59 x 34mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around 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 images -
Type of battery 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 recording
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 Single
Retail price $1,700 $328