Olympus E-P1 vs Sony HX5

Let's look a bit more closely at the Olympus E-P1 versus Sony HX5, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by rivals Olympus and Sony. The image resolution of the E-P1 (12MP) and the HX5 (10MP) is relatively well matched but the E-P1 (Four Thirds) and HX5 (1/2.4") come with totally different sensor dimensions.

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The E-P1 was unveiled 10 months before the HX5 and they are of a similar age. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-P1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony HX5 being a Compact camera.

Before getting through a complete comparison, below is a short summation of how the E-P1 grades versus the HX5 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

This is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus PEN E-P1 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5. The full galleries are provided at Olympus E-P1 Gallery & Sony HX5 Gallery.

When you are going to carry around your camera regularly, you will need to think about its weight and size. The Olympus E-P1 features outside dimensions of 121mm x 70mm x 36mm (4.8" x 2.8" x 1.4") along with a weight of 355 grams (0.78 lbs) whilst the Sony HX5 has specifications of 102mm x 58mm x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1") accompanied by a weight of 200 grams (0.44 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-P1 versus Sony HX5 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you have chosen at that time. Following is the front view sizing comparison of the E-P1 against the HX5.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-P1 and HX5 is 86 and 92 respectively.

Typically, it is tough to envision the contrast between sensor sizes purely by looking at technical specs. The image here will help provide you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the E-P1 and HX5.

As you have seen, both cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The E-P1 using its bigger sensor will make shooting bokeh easier and the Olympus E-P1 will give greater detail having an extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop photographs much more aggressively. The more aged E-P1 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor technology.