Olympus E-M1 vs Sony HX20V

Let's take a deeper look at the Olympus E-M1 versus Sony HX20V, former is a Pro Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by rivals Olympus and Sony. The image resolution of the E-M1 (16MP) and the HX20V (18MP) is relatively similar but the E-M1 (Four Thirds) and HX20V (1/2.3") posses totally different sensor measurements.

Photography Glossary

The E-M1 was announced 16 months after the HX20V which makes them a generation away from one another. Both of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-M1 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony HX20V being a Compact camera.

Before going into a in-depth comparison, here is a concise introduction of how the E-M1 grades against the HX20V for portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Below is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus OM-D E-M1 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V. The whole galleries are viewable at Olympus E-M1 Gallery & Sony HX20V Gallery.

When you are intending to travel with your camera regularly, you need to consider its weight and volume. The Olympus E-M1 has external dimensions of 130mm x 94mm x 63mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.5") and a weight of 497 grams (1.10 lbs) whilst the Sony HX20V has sizing of 107mm x 62mm x 35mm (4.2" x 2.4" x 1.4") along with a weight of 254 grams (0.56 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-M1 versus Sony HX20V in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you have at that moment. Below is a front view size comparison of the E-M1 vs the HX20V.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-M1 and HX20V is 71 and 90 respectively.

Quite often, it's hard to see the gap between sensor dimensions purely by reading technical specs. The pic here should give you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-M1 and HX20V.

As you can tell, the 2 cameras feature different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The E-M1 with its bigger sensor will make achieving shallower DOF simpler and the Sony HX20V will offer you more detail with its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will let you crop pictures way more aggressively. The younger E-M1 is going to have an advantage when it comes to sensor innovation.