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Olympus E-M1 vs Sony HX5

Portability
71
Imaging
53
Features
85
Overall
65
Olympus OM-D E-M1 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5 front
Portability
92
Imaging
33
Features
30
Overall
31

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony HX5 Key Specs

Olympus E-M1
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 497g - 130 x 94 x 63mm
  • Released October 2013
  • Replacement is Olympus E-M1 II
Sony HX5
(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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Olympus E-M1 vs Sony HX5 Overview

Here, we are looking at the Olympus E-M1 and Sony HX5, one being a Pro Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Compact by rivals Olympus and Sony. There exists a crucial gap between the sensor resolutions of the E-M1 (16MP) and HX5 (10MP) and the E-M1 (Four Thirds) and HX5 (1/2.4") provide different sensor sizing.

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The E-M1 was revealed 3 years later than the HX5 and that is quite a serious gap as far as technology is concerned. Both the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-M1 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony HX5 being a Compact camera.

Before we go into a step-by-step comparison, here is a simple synopsis of how the E-M1 scores vs the HX5 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M1 over the Sony HX5

 E-M1 HX5 
LaunchedOctober 2013June 2010More recent by 41 months
Focus manually Dial exact focus
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display resolution1037k230kClearer display (+807k dot)
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Sony HX5 over the Olympus E-M1

 HX5 E-M1 

Common features in the Olympus E-M1 and Sony HX5

 E-M1 HX5 
Display size3"3"Same display measurement
Selfie screen Lack of selfie screen

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony HX5 Physical Comparison

If you are aiming to lug around your camera frequently, you have to factor its weight and volume. The Olympus E-M1 has physical dimensions of 130mm x 94mm x 63mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.5") having a weight of 497 grams (1.10 lbs) and the Sony HX5 has sizing of 102mm x 58mm x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1") with a weight of 200 grams (0.44 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-M1 and Sony HX5 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you have chosen during that time. Following is a front view dimensions comparison of the E-M1 compared to the HX5.

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony HX5 size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-M1 and HX5 is 71 and 92 respectively.

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony HX5 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony HX5 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it's tough to imagine the contrast between sensor measurements purely by reviewing specs. The graphic below might give you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the E-M1 and HX5.

As you can plainly see, both the cameras come with different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-M1 using its larger sensor is going to make achieving bokeh easier and the Olympus E-M1 will deliver extra detail because of its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also enable you to crop images a good deal more aggressively. The newer E-M1 should have an advantage when it comes to sensor technology.

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony HX5 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony HX5 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony HX5 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Portrait photography features
Sony HX5 Portrait photography features
71
you can focus manually
high flash sync speed (1/320 seconds)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
features face detection focusing
supports RAW formats
19
lack of manual focus
can't use external flash
sensor resolution low (10MP)
very small sensor size (1/2.4")
has no RAW files
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-M1
Street photography with Sony HX5
78
tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
offers focus by touch
weather sealing
lighter than competition in class (497 grams)
above average ISO range (25,600)
55
has image stabilization (Optical)
no moving screen
very small sensor size (1/2.4")
has no RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Sports photography features
Sony HX5 Sports photography features
70
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000 seconds)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
features tracking autofocus
weather sealing
sensor has phase detect AF
bad battery pack (350 per charge)
26
has image stabilization (Optical)
no shutter priority mode
sensor resolution low (10MP)
very small sensor size (1/2.4")
has no phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Travel photography information
Sony HX5 Travel photography information
65
lighter than competition in class (497 grams)
weather sealing
offers focus by touch
decent MP (16 megapixels)
bad battery pack (350 per charge)
screen is not selfie friendly
60
has built in flash
really wide (25mm)
long zoom (250mm)
no Timelapse recording
sensor resolution low (10 megapixels)
screen isn't selfie friendly
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M1 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony HX5 as a Landscape photography camera
73
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is decent (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent MP (16MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
above average ISO range (25,600)
supports RAW formats
weather sealing
bad battery pack (350 shots)
37
really wide (25mm)
pretty good screen size (3")
has image stabilization (Optical)
lack of manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
sensor resolution low (10MP)
very small sensor size (1/2.4")
has no RAW files
no Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-M1
Vlogging with Sony HX5
36
built-in touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
features face detection focusing
high quality video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
includes external mic socket
lighter than competition in class (497 grams)
screen is not selfie friendly
31
really wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
great video quality (1920 x 1080 pixels)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
screen isn't selfie friendly
no external microphone jack
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Olympus E-M1 vs Sony HX5 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M1 and Sony HX5
 Olympus OM-D E-M1Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Sony
Model Olympus OM-D E-M1 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5
Category Pro Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Released 2013-10-28 2010-06-16
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePIC VII 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 16MP 10MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4608 x 3456 3456 x 2592
Highest native ISO 25600 3200
Minimum native ISO 100 125
RAW format
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points 81 9
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 25-250mm (10.0x)
Maximum aperture - f/3.5-5.5
Macro focus distance - 5cm
Number of lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.9
Screen
Screen type Tilting Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of screen 1,037 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 2,360 thousand dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.74x -
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/8000 secs 1/1600 secs
Continuous shooting speed 10.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range no built-in flash 3.80 m
Flash options 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 syncro
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash sync 1/320 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
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 (60, 30fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data format H.264, Motion JPEG AVCHD
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 497g (1.10 pounds) 200g (0.44 pounds)
Physical dimensions 130 x 94 x 63mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.5") 102 x 58 x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1")
DXO scores
DXO All around 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 pictures -
Type of battery Battery Pack -
Battery model BLN-1 NP-BG1
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec, portrait1/portrait2)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo/ PRO HG-Duo, optional SD/SDHC, Internal
Storage slots 1 1
Cost at launch $799 $275