Olympus E-510 vs Sony HX300

Its time to look a bit more closely at the Olympus E-510 vs Sony HX300, former being a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by competitors Olympus and Sony. There is a large difference between the image resolutions of the E-510 (10MP) and HX300 (20MP) and the E-510 (Four Thirds) and HX300 (1/2.3") provide different sensor sizes.

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The E-510 was launched 6 years before the HX300 and that is quite a serious difference as far as tech is concerned. The two cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-510 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony HX300 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before delving right into a more detailed comparison, here is a simple highlight of how the E-510 matches up against the HX300 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus E-510 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX300. The complete galleries are viewable at Olympus E-510 Gallery & Sony HX300 Gallery.

If you are going to lug around your camera often, you have to consider its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-510 provides exterior measurements of 136mm x 92mm x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") with a weight of 490 grams (1.08 lbs) while the Sony HX300 has proportions of 130mm x 103mm x 93mm (5.1" x 4.1" x 3.7") and a weight of 623 grams (1.37 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-510 vs Sony HX300 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you have attached at the time. Below is a front view over all size comparison of the E-510 vs the HX300.

Considering size and weight, the portability grade of the E-510 and HX300 is 69 and 63 respectively.

In many cases, it is very hard to visualize the contrast between sensor measurements purely by looking at specs. The photograph here will offer you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the E-510 and HX300.

All in all, both cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-510 featuring a bigger sensor is going to make shooting bokeh simpler and the Sony HX300 will resolve extra detail utilizing its extra 10 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also let you crop pictures a bit more aggressively. The older E-510 is going to be behind with regard to sensor technology.