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Olympus E-M1 vs Sony HX7V

Portability
71
Imaging
53
Features
85
Overall
65
Olympus OM-D E-M1 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX7V front
Portability
92
Imaging
39
Features
37
Overall
38

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony HX7V 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
  • Launched October 2013
  • Successor is Olympus E-M1 II
Sony HX7V
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 125 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-250mm (F3.5-5.5) lens
  • 208g - 102 x 58 x 29mm
  • Introduced July 2011
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Olympus E-M1 vs Sony HX7V Overview

Below is a extended overview of the Olympus E-M1 vs Sony HX7V, former being a Pro Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Compact by rivals Olympus and Sony. The sensor resolution of the E-M1 (16MP) and the HX7V (16MP) is fairly close but the E-M1 (Four Thirds) and HX7V (1/2.3") possess totally different sensor measurements.

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The E-M1 was unveiled 2 years later than the HX7V and that is a fairly significant difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of these cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-M1 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony HX7V being a Compact camera.

Before going through a in depth comparison, below is a quick summary of how the E-M1 matches up vs the HX7V when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M1 over the Sony HX7V

 E-M1 HX7V 
IntroducedOctober 2013July 2011More recent by 28 months
Focus manually Very accurate focus
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display resolution1037k921kClearer display (+116k dot)
Touch display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Sony HX7V over the Olympus E-M1

 HX7V E-M1 

Common features in the Olympus E-M1 and Sony HX7V

 E-M1 HX7V 
Display sizing3"3"Equivalent display measurements
Selfie screen Neither includes selfie screen

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony HX7V Physical Comparison

If you're intending to lug around your camera often, you have to consider its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-M1 features physical measurements of 130mm x 94mm x 63mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.5") with a weight of 497 grams (1.10 lbs) and the Sony HX7V has dimensions of 102mm x 58mm x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1") along with a weight of 208 grams (0.46 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-M1 vs Sony HX7V in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you are utilizing at that moment. Underneath is the front view dimension comparison of the E-M1 against the HX7V.

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony HX7V size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability rating of the E-M1 and HX7V is 71 and 92 respectively.

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony HX7V top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony HX7V Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, its hard to visualise the gap in sensor measurements purely by looking through technical specs. The visual here will offer you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the E-M1 and HX7V.

As you have seen, the two cameras offer the same exact MP but not the same sensor measurements. The E-M1 includes the larger sensor which should make achieving bokeh less difficult. The more recent E-M1 will have an edge with regard to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony HX7V sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony HX7V Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony HX7V Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Portrait photography details
Sony HX7V Portrait photography details
71
has manual focus
high flash sync (1/320 seconds)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports face detect focusing
exports RAW files
30
megapixel count decent (16MP)
manual focus not available
lack of manual exposure
cannot use external flash
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
no RAW support
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-M1
Street photography with Sony HX7V
78
has a tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
boasts touch focus
environment proof
lighter than competition (497 grams)
above average high ISO (25,600)
56
built in image stabilization (Optical)
screen is fixed
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
no RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Sports photography information
Sony HX7V Sports photography information
70
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000 seconds)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports tracking focus
environment proof
sensor has phase detect AF
terrible battery power (350 shots)
39
built in image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Travel photography factors
Sony HX7V Travel photography factors
65
lighter than competition (497 grams)
environment proof
boasts touch focus
decent megapixels (16MP)
terrible battery power (350 per charge)
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
67
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
pretty wide (25mm)
great reach (250mm)
lack of Time Lapse recording
screen is not selfie friendly
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Landscape photography factors
Sony HX7V Landscape photography factors
73
has manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is decent (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
above average high ISO (25,600)
exports RAW files
environment proof
terrible battery power (350 per charge)
42
pretty wide (25mm)
screen size is good (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count decent (16MP)
manual focus not available
can't switch lenses (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
lack of manual exposure
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
no RAW support
lack of Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Vlogging info
Sony HX7V Vlogging info
36
touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
supports face detect focusing
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
includes mic socket
lighter than competition (497 grams)
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
32
pretty wide (25mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
screen is not selfie friendly
lack of mic socket
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Olympus E-M1 vs Sony HX7V Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M1 and Sony HX7V
 Olympus OM-D E-M1Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX7V
General Information
Make Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus OM-D E-M1 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX7V
Class Pro Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Launched 2013-10-28 2011-07-19
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePIC VII BIONZ
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 16MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3 and 16:9
Max resolution 4608 x 3456 4608 x 3456
Max native ISO 25600 3200
Lowest native ISO 100 125
RAW data
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Total focus points 81 9
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 25-250mm (10.0x)
Maximum aperture - f/3.5-5.5
Total lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.8
Screen
Screen type Tilting Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3 inch 3 inch
Screen resolution 1,037 thousand dots 921 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Screen technology - XtraFine LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 2,360 thousand dots -
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.74x -
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/8000 secs 1/1600 secs
Continuous shutter rate 10.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 4.80 m
Flash settings 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
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize 1/320 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported 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), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data format H.264, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD
Mic port
Headphone port
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
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 497 gr (1.10 lb) 208 gr (0.46 lb)
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 Overall rating 73 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 23.0 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.7 not tested
DXO Low light rating 757 not tested
Other
Battery life 350 photos -
Form of battery Battery Pack -
Battery ID BLN-1 NP-BG1
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2)
Time lapse recording
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Duo/Memory Stick Pro Duo, Memory Stick Pro-HG Duo
Card slots Single Single
Launch pricing $799 $499