Olympus E-510 vs Sony HX5

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.

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The 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.

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.

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.

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.