Olympus E-510 vs Sony HX10V

On this page, we are comparing the Olympus E-510 and Sony HX10V, one being a Advanced DSLR and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by brands Olympus and Sony. There is a big difference between the resolutions of the E-510 (10MP) and HX10V (18MP) and the E-510 (Four Thirds) and HX10V (1/2.3") posses totally different sensor size.

Photography Glossary

The E-510 was introduced 5 years prior to the HX10V and that is quite a big gap as far as tech is concerned. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-510 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony HX10V being a Compact camera.

Before getting straight to a in-depth comparison, here is a short view of how the E-510 scores vs the HX10V with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus E-510 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX10V. The whole galleries are viewable at Olympus E-510 Gallery and Sony HX10V Gallery.

For those who are planning to carry your camera frequently, you'll have to think about its weight and size. The Olympus E-510 has outside dimensions of 136mm x 92mm x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") accompanied by a weight of 490 grams (1.08 lbs) while the Sony HX10V has specifications of 105mm x 60mm x 34mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") with a weight of 234 grams (0.52 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-510 and Sony HX10V in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you are utilizing at that time. Following is a front view measurement comparison of the E-510 vs the HX10V.

Using size and weight, the portability grade of the E-510 and HX10V is 69 and 91 respectively.

In many cases, it's tough to envision the gap between sensor sizing only by checking specifications. The visual here will offer you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-510 and HX10V.

To sum up, the two cameras have different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The E-510 having a larger sensor will make getting shallower depth of field less difficult and the Sony HX10V will give greater detail using its extra 8MP. Greater resolution can also let you crop photos a bit more aggressively. The older E-510 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor innovation.