Olympus E-PL1s vs Sony HX90V

Below, we are matching up the Olympus E-PL1s and Sony HX90V, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. There exists a significant gap between the sensor resolutions of the E-PL1s (12MP) and HX90V (18MP) and the E-PL1s (Four Thirds) and HX90V (1/2.3") use different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The E-PL1s was released 5 years prior to the HX90V which is quite a sizable gap as far as technology is concerned. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL1s being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony HX90V being a Compact camera.

Before getting straight into a detailed comparison, below is a quick summary of how the E-PL1s grades versus the HX90V with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus PEN E-PL1s and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX90V. The complete galleries are available at Olympus E-PL1s Gallery and Sony HX90V Gallery.

When you are looking to travel with your camera regularly, you are going to need to factor its weight and volume. The Olympus E-PL1s has got external measurements 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 HX90V has sizing of 102mm x 58mm x 36mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.4") accompanied by a weight of 245 grams (0.54 lbs).

See the Olympus E-PL1s and Sony HX90V in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you are working with at the time. Below is the front view size comparison of the E-PL1s and the HX90V.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-PL1s and HX90V is 86 and 91 respectively.

Normally, it's difficult to visualize the contrast between sensor dimensions merely by going over technical specs. The picture here will help give you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PL1s and HX90V.

As you have seen, the 2 cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The E-PL1s featuring a larger sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field simpler and the Sony HX90V will deliver more detail as a result of its extra 6MP. Greater resolution will help you crop pics much more aggressively. The more aged E-PL1s is going to be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.