Olympus E-P5 vs Sony HX350

Let's take a more detailed look at the Olympus E-P5 versus Sony HX350, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by rivals Olympus and Sony. The resolution of the E-P5 (16MP) and the HX350 (20MP) is very well matched but the E-P5 (Four Thirds) and HX350 (1/2.3") have different sensor dimensions.

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The E-P5 was introduced 4 years prior to the HX350 and that is quite a serious gap as far as technology is concerned. Both the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-P5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony HX350 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before getting into a detailed comparison, here is a brief summation of how the E-P5 scores vs the HX350 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus PEN E-P5 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX350. The whole galleries are provided at Olympus E-P5 Gallery and Sony HX350 Gallery.

When you are planning to lug around your camera often, you're going to have to think about its weight and volume. The Olympus E-P5 comes with exterior measurements of 122mm x 69mm x 37mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.5") and a weight of 420 grams (0.93 lbs) while the Sony HX350 has sizing of 130mm x 93mm x 103mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 4.1") with a weight of 652 grams (1.44 lbs).

See the Olympus E-P5 versus Sony HX350 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you are using at the time. Underneath is a front view measurement comparison of the E-P5 versus the HX350.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-P5 and HX350 is 85 and 62 respectively.

Quite often, it's difficult to visualize the contrast between sensor measurements only by checking a spec sheet. The photograph underneath might provide you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-P5 and HX350.

As you can see, the 2 cameras have different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-P5 with its larger sensor is going to make shooting shallower depth of field easier and the Sony HX350 will give you greater detail using its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also let you crop photos a bit more aggressively. The older E-P5 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor technology.