Olympus E-M5 III vs Sony HX5

On this page, we are looking at the Olympus E-M5 III versus Sony HX5, former being a Advanced Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Compact by rivals Olympus and Sony. There is a large difference among the sensor resolutions of the E-M5 III (20MP) and HX5 (10MP) and the E-M5 III (Four Thirds) and HX5 (1/2.4") have different sensor sizes.

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The E-M5 III was announced 9 years later than the HX5 and that is a fairly serious difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-M5 III being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony HX5 being a Compact camera.

Before diving straight to a comprehensive comparison, here is a short summation of how the E-M5 III grades against the HX5 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus OM-D E-M5 III & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5. The whole galleries are available at Olympus E-M5 III Gallery & Sony HX5 Gallery.

In case you're looking to carry your camera often, you'll need to factor its weight and size. The Olympus E-M5 III enjoys exterior dimensions of 125mm x 85mm x 50mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 2.0") having a weight of 414 grams (0.91 lbs) and the Sony HX5 has specifications of 102mm x 58mm x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1") having a weight of 200 grams (0.44 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-M5 III versus Sony HX5 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you are using at that moment. Below is a front view measurement comparison of the E-M5 III vs the HX5.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability rating of the E-M5 III and HX5 is 80 and 92 respectively.

Usually, it is hard to visualize the gap in sensor sizing merely by viewing specifications. The graphic below may give you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-M5 III and HX5.

To sum up, both the cameras have different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The E-M5 III using its larger sensor is going to make shooting shallower DOF less difficult and the Olympus E-M5 III will provide you with more detail with its extra 10MP. Greater resolution can also allow you to crop images a bit more aggressively. The more recent E-M5 III should have a benefit in sensor tech.