Olympus E-510 vs Sony HX20V
69 Imaging
44 Features
42 Overall
43


90 Imaging
42 Features
50 Overall
45
Olympus E-510 vs Sony HX20V Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 10MP - Four Thirds Sensor
- 2.5" Fixed Screen
- ISO 100 - 1600
- Sensor based Image Stabilization
- No Video
- Micro Four Thirds Mount
- 490g - 136 x 92 x 68mm
- Announced November 2007
- Also Known as EVOLT E-510
- Older Model is Olympus E-500
- Successor is Olympus E-520
(Full Review)
- 18MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Screen
- ISO 100 - 12800
- Optical Image Stabilization
- 1920 x 1080 video
- 25-500mm (F3.2-5.8) lens
- 254g - 107 x 62 x 35mm
- Announced July 2012
- Older Model is Sony HX10V
- Newer Model is Sony HX30V

Olympus E-510 vs Sony HX20V Overview
Here is a in depth analysis of the Olympus E-510 versus Sony HX20V, former being a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by rivals Olympus and Sony. There exists a substantial gap among the image resolutions of the E-510 (10MP) and HX20V (18MP) and the E-510 (Four Thirds) and HX20V (1/2.3") offer totally different sensor measurements.

The E-510 was manufactured 5 years before the HX20V and that is a fairly big difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-510 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony HX20V being a Compact camera.
Before going right into a thorough comparison, here is a simple synopsis of how the E-510 matches up vs the HX20V in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Olympus E-510 vs Sony HX20V Gallery
The following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus E-510 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V. The entire galleries are available at Olympus E-510 Gallery & Sony HX20V Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-510 over the Sony HX20V
E-510 | HX20V |
---|
Reasons to pick Sony HX20V over the Olympus E-510
HX20V | E-510 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Announced | July 2012 | ![]() | November 2007 | Fresher by 56 months |
Screen dimensions | 3" | ![]() | 2.5" | Bigger screen (+0.5") |
Screen resolution | 922k | ![]() | 230k | Crisper screen (+692k dot) |
Common features in the Olympus E-510 and Sony HX20V
E-510 | HX20V | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Focus manually | ![]() | Dial precise focusing | ||
Screen type | Fixed | ![]() | Fixed | Fixed screen |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Neither provides selfie screen | ||
Touch friendly screen | ![]() | Neither provides Touch friendly screen |
Olympus E-510 vs Sony HX20V Physical Comparison
For anybody who is planning to carry your camera often, you'll have to think about its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-510 provides outside dimensions of 136mm x 92mm x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") having a weight of 490 grams (1.08 lbs) while the Sony HX20V has dimensions of 107mm x 62mm x 35mm (4.2" x 2.4" x 1.4") and a weight of 254 grams (0.56 lbs).
Compare the Olympus E-510 versus Sony HX20V in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Remember that, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you have during that time. Here is a front view dimension comparison of the E-510 versus the HX20V.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-510 and HX20V is 69 and 90 respectively.

Olympus E-510 vs Sony HX20V Sensor Comparison
Normally, it is very difficult to envision the gap in sensor sizing just by checking out a spec sheet. The photograph underneath will give you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-510 and HX20V.
As you can see, each of the cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The E-510 featuring a bigger sensor will make achieving bokeh easier and the Sony HX20V will provide extra detail due to its extra 8 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop pictures more aggressively. The older E-510 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-510 vs Sony HX20V Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-510 vs Sony HX20V Specifications
Olympus E-510 | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Brand Name | Olympus | Sony |
Model type | Olympus E-510 | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V |
Also Known as | EVOLT E-510 | - |
Type | Advanced DSLR | Small Sensor Superzoom |
Announced | 2007-11-23 | 2012-07-20 |
Body design | Mid-size SLR | Compact |
Sensor Information | ||
Processor Chip | - | 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 surface area | 224.9mm² | 28.1mm² |
Sensor resolution | 10 megapixel | 18 megapixel |
Anti alias filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 4:3 | 4:3 and 16:9 |
Maximum resolution | 3648 x 2736 | 4896 x 3672 |
Maximum native ISO | 1600 | 12800 |
Min native ISO | 100 | 100 |
RAW data | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Manual focusing | ||
AF touch | ||
AF continuous | ||
Single AF | ||
AF tracking | ||
AF selectice | ||
AF center weighted | ||
Multi area AF | ||
Live view AF | ||
Face detection AF | ||
Contract detection AF | ||
Phase detection AF | ||
Total focus points | 3 | 9 |
Lens | ||
Lens support | Micro Four Thirds | fixed lens |
Lens zoom range | - | 25-500mm (20.0x) |
Maximum aperture | - | f/3.2-5.8 |
Macro focusing range | - | 1cm |
Total lenses | 45 | - |
Focal length multiplier | 2.1 | 5.8 |
Screen | ||
Range of screen | Fixed Type | Fixed Type |
Screen diagonal | 2.5 inches | 3 inches |
Resolution of screen | 230k dot | 922k dot |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch operation | ||
Screen tech | - | XtraFine TruBlack TFT LCD |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder type | Optical (pentamirror) | None |
Viewfinder coverage | 95 percent | - |
Viewfinder magnification | 0.46x | - |
Features | ||
Lowest shutter speed | 60s | 30s |
Highest shutter speed | 1/4000s | 1/1600s |
Continuous shooting speed | 3.0fps | 10.0fps |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manually set exposure | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
Change WB | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Inbuilt flash | ||
Flash distance | 12.00 m (at ISO 100) | 7.10 m |
Flash options | Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye | Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync |
Hot shoe | ||
Auto exposure bracketing | ||
WB bracketing | ||
Highest flash sync | 1/180s | - |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment | ||
Average | ||
Spot | ||
Partial | ||
AF area | ||
Center weighted | ||
Video features | ||
Supported video resolutions | - | 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) |
Maximum video resolution | None | 1920x1080 |
Video file format | - | MPEG-4, AVCHD |
Microphone input | ||
Headphone input | ||
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 seal | ||
Water proofing | ||
Dust proofing | ||
Shock proofing | ||
Crush proofing | ||
Freeze proofing | ||
Weight | 490 gr (1.08 lb) | 254 gr (0.56 lb) |
Physical dimensions | 136 x 92 x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") | 107 x 62 x 35mm (4.2" x 2.4" x 1.4") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO All around rating | 52 | not tested |
DXO Color Depth rating | 21.2 | not tested |
DXO Dynamic range rating | 10.0 | not tested |
DXO Low light rating | 442 | not tested |
Other | ||
Battery life | - | 320 photographs |
Battery format | - | Battery Pack |
Battery ID | - | NP-BG1 |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2) |
Time lapse feature | ||
Storage media | Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card | SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo |
Storage slots | 1 | 1 |
Price at launch | $550 | $397 |