Olympus E-P2 vs Sony HX7V

Let's look more closely at the Olympus E-P2 versus Sony HX7V, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Compact by competitors Olympus and Sony. There exists a crucial gap between the resolutions of the E-P2 (12MP) and HX7V (16MP) and the E-P2 (Four Thirds) and HX7V (1/2.3") boast totally different sensor size.

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The E-P2 was announced 15 months prior to the HX7V making them a generation apart from one another. Both of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-P2 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony HX7V being a Compact camera.

Before we go into a complete comparison, here is a concise highlight of how the E-P2 scores versus the HX7V in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

This is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus PEN E-P2 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX7V. The whole galleries are provided at Olympus E-P2 Gallery and Sony HX7V Gallery.

In case you're planning to carry your camera, you should factor in its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-P2 provides physical measurements of 121mm x 70mm x 36mm (4.8" x 2.8" x 1.4") and a weight of 355 grams (0.78 lbs) and the Sony HX7V has measurements of 102mm x 58mm x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1") with a weight of 208 grams (0.46 lbs).

See the Olympus E-P2 versus Sony HX7V in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you have during that time. Here is a front view proportions comparison of the E-P2 compared to the HX7V.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-P2 and HX7V is 86 and 92 respectively.

More often than not, it's difficult to visualise the gap between sensor sizing only by checking specifications. The photograph below may offer you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-P2 and HX7V.

To sum up, both the cameras have different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The E-P2 having a larger sensor will make achieving shallow DOF less difficult and the Sony HX7V will resolve more detail with its extra 4MP. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop images a bit more aggressively. The older E-P2 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.