Olympus E-500 vs Sony HX80

In this write-up, we are matching up the Olympus E-500 versus Sony HX80, one is a Advanced DSLR and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by companies Olympus and Sony. There is a sizeable difference between the sensor resolutions of the E-500 (8MP) and HX80 (18MP) and the E-500 (Four Thirds) and HX80 (1/2.3") possess different sensor dimensions.

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The E-500 was announced 11 years earlier than the HX80 which is quite a large gap as far as tech is concerned. Both the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-500 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony HX80 being a Compact camera.

Before getting in to a full comparison, below is a brief introduction of how the E-500 matches up versus the HX80 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus E-500 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX80. The whole galleries are viewable at Olympus E-500 Gallery and Sony HX80 Gallery.

For anyone who is going to carry around your camera frequently, you'll have to factor in its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-500 provides physical dimensions of 130mm x 95mm x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") along with a weight of 479 grams (1.06 lbs) and the Sony HX80 has proportions of 102mm x 58mm x 36mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.4") accompanied by a weight of 245 grams (0.54 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-500 versus Sony HX80 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you have attached at the time. Below is the front view over all size comparison of the E-500 versus the HX80.

Using size and weight, the portability grade of the E-500 and HX80 is 70 and 91 respectively.

Oftentimes, it's tough to picture the difference between sensor sizes simply by reading specs. The image below may give you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-500 and HX80.

As you can plainly see, both the cameras enjoy different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The E-500 with its larger sensor is going to make getting shallower DOF less difficult and the Sony HX80 will deliver greater detail with its extra 10MP. Greater resolution will allow you to crop pics far more aggressively. The more aged E-500 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor innovation.