Olympus E-510 vs Sony HX5
69 Imaging
43 Features
42 Overall
42
92 Imaging
33 Features
30 Overall
31
Olympus E-510 vs Sony HX5 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 10MP - Four Thirds Sensor
- 2.5" Fixed Display
- ISO 100 - 1600
- Sensor based Image Stabilization
- No Video
- Micro Four Thirds Mount
- 490g - 136 x 92 x 68mm
- Introduced November 2007
- Alternate Name is EVOLT E-510
- Superseded the Olympus E-500
- Successor is Olympus E-520
(Full Review)
- 10MP - 1/2.4" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Display
- ISO 125 - 3200
- Optical Image Stabilization
- 1920 x 1080 video
- 25-250mm (F3.5-5.5) lens
- 200g - 102 x 58 x 29mm
- Launched June 2010
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On this page, we are analyzing the Olympus E-510 vs Sony HX5, former being a Advanced DSLR while the other is a Small Sensor Compact by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. The sensor resolution of the E-510 (10MP) and the HX5 (10MP) is very close but the E-510 (Four Thirds) and HX5 (1/2.4") boast totally different sensor measurements.
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created ImagesThe E-510 was unveiled 3 years before the HX5 and that is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-510 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony HX5 being a Compact camera.
Before getting into a in-depth comparison, here is a simple overview of how the E-510 matches up vs the HX5 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.
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The following is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus E-510 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5. The full galleries are available at Olympus E-510 Gallery & Sony HX5 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-510 over the Sony HX5
| E-510 | HX5 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Focus manually | Dial accurate focus |
Reasons to pick Sony HX5 over the Olympus E-510
| HX5 | E-510 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Launched | June 2010 | November 2007 | More recent by 31 months | |
| Display dimensions | 3" | 2.5" | Larger display (+0.5") |
Common features in the Olympus E-510 and Sony HX5
| E-510 | HX5 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Display type | Fixed | Fixed | Fixed display | |
| Display resolution | 230k | 230k | Exact same display resolution | |
| Selfie screen | No selfie screen | |||
| Touch friendly display | Neither has Touch friendly display |
Olympus E-510 vs Sony HX5 Physical Comparison
For anyone who is planning to lug around your camera often, you're going to have to factor its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-510 has outer dimensions of 136mm x 92mm x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") with a weight of 490 grams (1.08 lbs) and the Sony HX5 has measurements of 102mm x 58mm x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1") with a weight of 200 grams (0.44 lbs).
See the Olympus E-510 vs Sony HX5 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Always remember, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you select at that time. Following is a front view measurement comparison of the E-510 vs the HX5.

Looking at size and weight, the portability score of the E-510 and HX5 is 69 and 92 respectively.
Olympus E-510 vs Sony HX5 Sensor Comparison
Often, it is difficult to see the difference in sensor measurements purely by viewing a spec sheet. The photograph here might provide you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-510 and HX5.
As you can see, the 2 cameras have the same resolution but not the same sensor measurements. The E-510 uses the larger sensor which will make obtaining shallower depth of field easier. The older E-510 will be behind with regard to sensor technology.
Olympus E-510 vs Sony HX5 Screen and ViewFinder
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Olympus E-510 vs Sony HX5 Specifications
| Olympus E-510 | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5 | |
|---|---|---|
| General Information | ||
| Manufacturer | Olympus | Sony |
| Model type | Olympus E-510 | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5 |
| Alternate name | EVOLT E-510 | - |
| Category | Advanced DSLR | Small Sensor Compact |
| Introduced | 2007-11-23 | 2010-06-16 |
| Physical type | Mid-size SLR | Compact |
| Sensor Information | ||
| Processor | - | Bionz |
| Sensor type | CMOS | BSI-CMOS |
| Sensor size | Four Thirds | 1/2.4" |
| Sensor measurements | 17.3 x 13mm | 6.104 x 4.578mm |
| Sensor surface area | 224.9mm² | 27.9mm² |
| Sensor resolution | 10 megapixel | 10 megapixel |
| Anti alias filter | ||
| Aspect ratio | 4:3 | 4:3 and 16:9 |
| Peak resolution | 3648 x 2736 | 3456 x 2592 |
| Highest native ISO | 1600 | 3200 |
| Lowest native ISO | 100 | 125 |
| RAW files | ||
| Autofocusing | ||
| Manual focusing | ||
| Touch to focus | ||
| Continuous AF | ||
| Single AF | ||
| Tracking AF | ||
| AF selectice | ||
| AF center weighted | ||
| AF multi area | ||
| Live view AF | ||
| Face detect focusing | ||
| Contract detect focusing | ||
| Phase detect focusing | ||
| Total focus points | 3 | 9 |
| Lens | ||
| Lens mount type | Micro Four Thirds | fixed lens |
| Lens zoom range | - | 25-250mm (10.0x) |
| Highest aperture | - | f/3.5-5.5 |
| Macro focusing range | - | 5cm |
| Available lenses | 45 | - |
| Crop factor | 2.1 | 5.9 |
| Screen | ||
| Type of display | Fixed Type | Fixed Type |
| Display diagonal | 2.5 inches | 3 inches |
| Resolution of display | 230k dots | 230k dots |
| Selfie friendly | ||
| Liveview | ||
| Touch function | ||
| Viewfinder Information | ||
| Viewfinder type | Optical (pentamirror) | None |
| Viewfinder coverage | 95 percent | - |
| Viewfinder magnification | 0.46x | - |
| Features | ||
| Min shutter speed | 60s | 30s |
| Max shutter speed | 1/4000s | 1/1600s |
| Continuous shutter rate | 3.0fps | 10.0fps |
| Shutter priority | ||
| Aperture priority | ||
| Manually set exposure | ||
| Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
| Set WB | ||
| Image stabilization | ||
| Integrated flash | ||
| Flash distance | 12.00 m (at ISO 100) | 3.80 m |
| Flash options | Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye | Auto, On, Off, Slow syncro |
| External flash | ||
| Auto exposure bracketing | ||
| White balance bracketing | ||
| Max flash synchronize | 1/180s | - |
| Exposure | ||
| Multisegment metering | ||
| Average metering | ||
| Spot metering | ||
| Partial metering | ||
| AF area metering | ||
| Center weighted metering | ||
| Video features | ||
| Supported video resolutions | - | 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1440 x 1080 (60, 30fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) |
| Highest video resolution | None | 1920x1080 |
| Video file format | - | AVCHD |
| Microphone support | ||
| Headphone support | ||
| Connectivity | ||
| Wireless | None | None |
| Bluetooth | ||
| NFC | ||
| HDMI | ||
| USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
| GPS | None | BuiltIn |
| Physical | ||
| Environment sealing | ||
| Water proofing | ||
| Dust proofing | ||
| Shock proofing | ||
| Crush proofing | ||
| Freeze proofing | ||
| Weight | 490 gr (1.08 lbs) | 200 gr (0.44 lbs) |
| Physical dimensions | 136 x 92 x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") | 102 x 58 x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1") |
| DXO scores | ||
| DXO Overall 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 ID | - | NP-BG1 |
| Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes (2 or 10 sec, portrait1/portrait2) |
| Time lapse recording | ||
| Storage type | Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card | Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo/ PRO HG-Duo, optional SD/SDHC, Internal |
| Card slots | One | One |
| Retail pricing | $550 | $275 |