Olympus E-PL1s vs Sony HX80

Below is a in-depth review of the Olympus E-PL1s vs Sony HX80, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by companies Olympus and Sony. There is a significant difference among the image resolutions of the E-PL1s (12MP) and HX80 (18MP) and the E-PL1s (Four Thirds) and HX80 (1/2.3") provide totally different sensor measurements.

Photography Glossary

The E-PL1s was brought out 6 years prior to the HX80 and that is a fairly sizable gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-PL1s being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony HX80 being a Compact camera.

Before getting right into a thorough comparison, here is a simple summary of how the E-PL1s grades against the HX80 for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus PEN E-PL1s and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX80. The entire galleries are viewable at Olympus E-PL1s Gallery and Sony HX80 Gallery.

For those who are looking to lug around your camera often, you should factor its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-PL1s enjoys external dimensions of 115mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") with a weight of 334 grams (0.74 lbs) whilst the Sony HX80 has measurements of 102mm x 58mm x 36mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.4") having a weight of 245 grams (0.54 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-PL1s vs Sony HX80 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you are utilizing at the time. Following is a front view size comparison of the E-PL1s versus the HX80.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability score of the E-PL1s and HX80 is 86 and 91 respectively.

Usually, its hard to see the contrast in sensor measurements simply by viewing a spec sheet. The graphic below should offer you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PL1s and HX80.

As you can see, each of these cameras feature different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-PL1s featuring a bigger sensor will make shooting shallower depth of field simpler and the Sony HX80 will render extra detail having its extra 6MP. Higher resolution can also let you crop pictures way more aggressively. The older E-PL1s will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.