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Olympus E-M1 vs Sony HX20V

Portability
71
Imaging
53
Features
85
Overall
65
Olympus OM-D E-M1 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V front
Portability
90
Imaging
42
Features
50
Overall
45

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony HX20V Key Specs

Olympus E-M1
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 497g - 130 x 94 x 63mm
  • Introduced October 2013
  • Newer Model is Olympus E-M1 II
Sony HX20V
(Full Review)
  • 18MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 12800
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-500mm (F3.2-5.8) lens
  • 254g - 107 x 62 x 35mm
  • Introduced July 2012
  • Previous Model is Sony HX10V
  • Replacement is Sony HX30V
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Olympus E-M1 vs Sony HX20V Overview

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.

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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.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M1 over the Sony HX20V

 E-M1 HX20V 
IntroducedOctober 2013July 2012Newer by 16 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution1037k922kCrisper screen (+115k dot)
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Sony HX20V over the Olympus E-M1

 HX20V E-M1 

Common features in the Olympus E-M1 and Sony HX20V

 E-M1 HX20V 
Manual focus Dial accurate focus
Screen size3"3"Same screen measurements
Selfie screen Neither has selfie screen

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony HX20V Physical Comparison

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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony HX20V size comparison

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

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony HX20V top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony HX20V Sensor Comparison

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.

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony HX20V sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony HX20V Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony HX20V Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-M1
Portrait photography with Sony HX20V
71
you can focus manually
above average flash sync speed (1/320 seconds)
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
has face detect focusing
saves RAW files
45
manual focus
resolution is good (18 megapixels)
features face detection focusing
no external flash support
sensor is small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Street photography advice
Sony HX20V Street photography advice
78
screen tilts
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
supports focus via touch
environment proofing
lighter than competition (497 grams)
above average ISO range (25,600)
61
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than others in class (254 grams)
fixed screen
sensor is small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Sports photography features
Sony HX20V Sports photography features
70
great max shutter speed (1/8,000s)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good megapixels (16MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
has tracking focus
environment proofing
supports phase detect AF
bad battery (350 per charge)
49
amazing zoom range (25-500mm 20.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Optical)
resolution is good (18MP)
features tracking autofocus
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor is small (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-M1
Travel photography with Sony HX20V
65
lighter than competition (497 grams)
environment proofing
supports focus via touch
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
bad battery (350 per charge)
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
69
lighter than others in class (254 grams)
resolution is good (18MP)
built-in flash
fairly wide (25mm)
great zoom (500mm)
does not have Timelapse mode
does not posses selfie friendly display
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.2)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Landscape photography features
Sony HX20V Landscape photography features
73
you can focus manually
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a good size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
above average ISO range (25,600)
saves RAW files
environment proofing
bad battery (350 CIPA)
50
manual focus
fairly wide (25mm)
nice screen size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Optical)
resolution is good (18MP)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.2)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
does not have Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Vlogging highlights
Sony HX20V Vlogging highlights
36
touchscreen enabled
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
has face detect focusing
high video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
comes with microphone socket
lighter than competition (497 grams)
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
34
fairly wide (25mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
features face detection focusing
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lighter than others in class (254g)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.2)
does not posses selfie friendly display
does not have external microphone support
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Olympus E-M1 vs Sony HX20V Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M1 and Sony HX20V
 Olympus OM-D E-M1Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V
General Information
Brand Olympus Sony
Model Olympus OM-D E-M1 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V
Class Pro Mirrorless Small Sensor Superzoom
Introduced 2013-10-28 2012-07-20
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePIC VII BIONZ
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 18 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4608 x 3456 4896 x 3672
Highest native ISO 25600 12800
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW data
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Number of focus points 81 9
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 25-500mm (20.0x)
Maximal aperture - f/3.2-5.8
Macro focus range - 1cm
Number of lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.8
Screen
Display type Tilting Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3" 3"
Resolution of display 1,037k dots 922k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Display tech - XtraFine TruBlack TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 2,360k dots -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.74x -
Features
Min shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Max shutter speed 1/8000 secs 1/1600 secs
Continuous shutter rate 10.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range no built-in flash 7.10 m
Flash modes Flash Auto, Redeye, Fill-in, Flash Off, Red-eye Slow sync (1st curtain), Slow sync (1st curtain), Slow sync (2nd curtain), Manual Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Max flash synchronize 1/320 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video format H.264, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 497g (1.10 pounds) 254g (0.56 pounds)
Physical dimensions 130 x 94 x 63mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.5") 107 x 62 x 35mm (4.2" x 2.4" x 1.4")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 73 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 23.0 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 12.7 not tested
DXO Low light score 757 not tested
Other
Battery life 350 images 320 images
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLN-1 NP-BG1
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo
Card slots Single Single
Cost at release $799 $397