Olympus E-510 vs Sony HX20V

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.

Photography Glossary

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.

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.

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.

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.