Olympus E-M5 vs Sony HX7V
81 Imaging
52 Features
70 Overall
59


92 Imaging
39 Features
37 Overall
38
Olympus E-M5 vs Sony HX7V Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
- 3" Tilting Display
- ISO 200 - 25600
- Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Micro Four Thirds Mount
- 425g - 122 x 89 x 43mm
- Introduced April 2012
- Later Model is Olympus E-M5 II
(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
- Released July 2011

Olympus E-M5 vs Sony HX7V Overview
Below is a in-depth comparison of the Olympus E-M5 vs Sony HX7V, former being a Advanced Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Compact by competitors Olympus and Sony. The image resolution of the E-M5 (16MP) and the HX7V (16MP) is fairly well matched but the E-M5 (Four Thirds) and HX7V (1/2.3") come with totally different sensor size.

The E-M5 was launched 10 months later than the HX7V and they are both of a similar age. Both cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-M5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony HX7V being a Compact camera.
Before we go straight into a comprehensive comparison, below is a brief view of how the E-M5 scores vs the HX7V in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Olympus E-M5 vs Sony HX7V Gallery
The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus OM-D E-M5 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX7V. The complete galleries are viewable at Olympus E-M5 Gallery & Sony HX7V Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 over the Sony HX7V
E-M5 | HX7V | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Released | April 2012 | ![]() | July 2011 | More recent by 10 months |
Focus manually | ![]() | More accurate focusing | ||
Display type | Tilting | ![]() | Fixed | Tilting display |
Touch friendly display | ![]() | Easily navigate |
Reasons to pick Sony HX7V over the Olympus E-M5
HX7V | E-M5 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Display resolution | 921k | ![]() | 610k | Crisper display (+311k dot) |
Common features in the Olympus E-M5 and Sony HX7V
E-M5 | HX7V | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Display sizing | 3" | ![]() | 3" | Equivalent display size |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Lack of selfie screen |
Olympus E-M5 vs Sony HX7V Physical Comparison
For anyone who is intending to lug around your camera, you will need to take into account its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-M5 provides outer dimensions of 122mm x 89mm x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") accompanied by a weight of 425 grams (0.94 lbs) whilst the Sony HX7V has proportions of 102mm x 58mm x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1") accompanied by a weight of 208 grams (0.46 lbs).
Examine the Olympus E-M5 vs Sony HX7V in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you use at that time. Underneath is the front view size comparison of the E-M5 vs the HX7V.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-M5 and HX7V is 81 and 92 respectively.

Olympus E-M5 vs Sony HX7V Sensor Comparison
Quite often, it is very hard to visualise the gap between sensor measurements only by checking specs. The graphic underneath should give you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-M5 and HX7V.
All in all, each of the cameras offer the same exact megapixel count but not the same sensor measurements. The E-M5 has got the larger sensor which should make achieving shallow depth of field less difficult. The more recent E-M5 is going to have a benefit when it comes to sensor technology.

Olympus E-M5 vs Sony HX7V Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M5 vs Sony HX7V Specifications
Olympus OM-D E-M5 | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX7V | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Company | Olympus | Sony |
Model type | Olympus OM-D E-M5 | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX7V |
Class | Advanced Mirrorless | Small Sensor Compact |
Introduced | 2012-04-30 | 2011-07-19 |
Body design | SLR-style mirrorless | Compact |
Sensor Information | ||
Chip | TruePic VI | 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 | 16MP | 16MP |
Anti alias filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 | 4:3 and 16:9 |
Full resolution | 4608 x 3456 | 4608 x 3456 |
Max native ISO | 25600 | 3200 |
Minimum native ISO | 200 | 125 |
RAW pictures | ||
Minimum boosted ISO | 100 | - |
Autofocusing | ||
Manual focusing | ||
Touch focus | ||
Continuous AF | ||
AF single | ||
Tracking AF | ||
AF selectice | ||
AF center weighted | ||
AF multi area | ||
Live view AF | ||
Face detect AF | ||
Contract detect AF | ||
Phase detect AF | ||
Total focus points | 35 | 9 |
Lens | ||
Lens support | Micro Four Thirds | fixed lens |
Lens zoom range | - | 25-250mm (10.0x) |
Highest aperture | - | f/3.5-5.5 |
Amount of lenses | 107 | - |
Crop factor | 2.1 | 5.8 |
Screen | ||
Range of display | Tilting | Fixed Type |
Display sizing | 3 inches | 3 inches |
Resolution of display | 610k dot | 921k dot |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch screen | ||
Display tech | Touch control in electrostatic capacitance type OLED monitor | XtraFine LCD |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder | Electronic | None |
Viewfinder resolution | 1,440k dot | - |
Viewfinder coverage | 100 percent | - |
Viewfinder magnification | 0.58x | - |
Features | ||
Lowest shutter speed | 60s | 30s |
Highest shutter speed | 1/4000s | 1/1600s |
Continuous shooting speed | 9.0fps | 10.0fps |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Expose Manually | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | - |
Custom WB | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Built-in flash | ||
Flash distance | no built-in flash | 4.80 m |
Flash modes | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync (2), Manual (3 levels) | Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync |
Hot shoe | ||
AE bracketing | ||
White balance bracketing | ||
Highest flash sync | 1/250s | - |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment | ||
Average | ||
Spot | ||
Partial | ||
AF area | ||
Center weighted | ||
Video features | ||
Supported video resolutions | 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 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 |
Microphone input | ||
Headphone input | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | Eye-Fi Connected | Eye-Fi Connected |
Bluetooth | ||
NFC | ||
HDMI | ||
USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
GPS | None | BuiltIn |
Physical | ||
Environment seal | ||
Water proofing | ||
Dust proofing | ||
Shock proofing | ||
Crush proofing | ||
Freeze proofing | ||
Weight | 425g (0.94 pounds) | 208g (0.46 pounds) |
Dimensions | 122 x 89 x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") | 102 x 58 x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO All around rating | 71 | not tested |
DXO Color Depth rating | 22.8 | not tested |
DXO Dynamic range rating | 12.3 | not tested |
DXO Low light rating | 826 | not tested |
Other | ||
Battery life | 360 shots | - |
Form of battery | Battery Pack | - |
Battery ID | BLN-1 | NP-BG1 |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2) |
Time lapse recording | ||
Storage media | SD/SDHC/SDXC | SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Duo/Memory Stick Pro Duo, Memory Stick Pro-HG Duo |
Storage slots | 1 | 1 |
Cost at launch | $799 | $499 |