Olympus E-510 vs Sony HX50V

Lets examine more closely at the Olympus E-510 and Sony HX50V, one being a Advanced DSLR and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by brands Olympus and Sony. There is a significant difference between the image resolutions of the E-510 (10MP) and HX50V (20MP) and the E-510 (Four Thirds) and HX50V (1/2.3") possess totally different sensor dimensions.

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The E-510 was announced 6 years earlier than the HX50V and that is quite a sizable gap as far as tech is concerned. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-510 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony HX50V being a Compact camera.

Before delving straight into a more detailed comparison, below is a short summary of how the E-510 scores vs the HX50V for portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus E-510 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX50V. The whole galleries are viewable at Olympus E-510 Gallery and Sony HX50V Gallery.

In case you're looking to carry your camera often, you'll have to think about its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-510 offers outer 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 HX50V has proportions of 108mm x 64mm x 38mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") along with a weight of 272 grams (0.60 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-510 and Sony HX50V in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you choose at that moment. Here is the front view measurement comparison of the E-510 vs the HX50V.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability rating of the E-510 and HX50V is 69 and 89 respectively.

Oftentimes, it is tough to envision the gap between sensor sizing only by going over specs. The graphic below should give you a better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-510 and HX50V.

All in all, each of these cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The E-510 with its larger sensor will make getting shallower depth of field less difficult and the Sony HX50V will deliver greater detail with its extra 10 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also let you crop pics somewhat more aggressively. The older E-510 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.