Olympus E-PL1 vs Sony HX20V

Its time to look closer at the Olympus E-PL1 versus Sony HX20V, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by rivals Olympus and Sony. There exists a considerable gap between the sensor resolutions of the E-PL1 (12MP) and HX20V (18MP) and the E-PL1 (Four Thirds) and HX20V (1/2.3") provide totally different sensor sizing.

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The E-PL1 was unveiled 3 years before the HX20V and that is quite a large difference as far as technology is concerned. Both of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony HX20V being a Compact camera.

Before delving right into a in depth comparison, here is a quick summation of how the E-PL1 matches up versus the HX20V in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN E-PL1 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V. The full galleries are available at Olympus E-PL1 Gallery & Sony HX20V Gallery.

For those who are planning to lug around your camera frequently, you will need to think about its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-PL1 comes with external measurements of 115mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") accompanied by a weight of 334 grams (0.74 lbs) while the Sony HX20V has dimensions of 107mm x 62mm x 35mm (4.2" x 2.4" x 1.4") with a weight of 254 grams (0.56 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-PL1 versus Sony HX20V in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you are working with at that time. Underneath is a front view proportions comparison of the E-PL1 against the HX20V.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-PL1 and HX20V is 86 and 90 respectively.

Typically, it is very hard to see the gap between sensor measurements purely by reading through a spec sheet. The photograph underneath will offer you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the E-PL1 and HX20V.

As you can see, both cameras have different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-PL1 with its larger sensor will make achieving shallow depth of field simpler and the Sony HX20V will resolve extra detail having an extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also help you crop images a bit more aggressively. The older E-PL1 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor innovation.