Olympus E-PL1 vs Sony HX5

On this page, we are looking at the Olympus E-PL1 and Sony HX5, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Compact by brands Olympus and Sony. The resolution of the E-PL1 (12MP) and the HX5 (10MP) is very comparable but the E-PL1 (Four Thirds) and HX5 (1/2.4") have different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The E-PL1 was brought out very close to the HX5 so they are both of a similar age. Both of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony HX5 being a Compact camera.

Before getting right into a step-by-step comparison, here is a concise view of how the E-PL1 matches up vs the HX5 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus PEN E-PL1 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5. The entire galleries are viewable at Olympus E-PL1 Gallery & Sony HX5 Gallery.

In case you're aiming to carry your camera regularly, you're going to have to think about its weight and size. The Olympus E-PL1 provides physical dimensions of 115mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") and a weight of 334 grams (0.74 lbs) and the Sony HX5 has specifications of 102mm x 58mm x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1") with a weight of 200 grams (0.44 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-PL1 and Sony HX5 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you are using at that time. Here is a front view physical size comparison of the E-PL1 vs the HX5.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL1 and HX5 is 86 and 92 respectively.

Sometimes, it is very tough to picture the difference in sensor sizing only by going through technical specs. The photograph here will help offer you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PL1 and HX5.

As you can tell, each of the cameras have different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The E-PL1 because of its larger sensor is going to make getting shallow DOF less difficult and the Olympus E-PL1 will show extra detail having its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will enable you to crop images a bit more aggressively.