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Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony HX400V

Portability
85
Imaging
48
Features
47
Overall
47
Olympus PEN E-PL2 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX400V front
Portability
62
Imaging
45
Features
60
Overall
51

Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony HX400V Key Specs

Olympus E-PL2
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 362g - 114 x 72 x 42mm
  • Released February 2011
  • Succeeded the Olympus E-PL1s
  • Refreshed by Olympus E-PL3
Sony HX400V
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 80 - 12800
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-1200mm (F2.8-6.3) lens
  • 660g - 130 x 93 x 103mm
  • Revealed February 2014
  • Superseded the Sony HX300
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Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony HX400V Overview

Let's take a closer look at the Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony HX400V, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by competitors Olympus and Sony. There is a sizable difference between the resolutions of the E-PL2 (12MP) and HX400V (20MP) and the E-PL2 (Four Thirds) and HX400V (1/2.3") use different sensor size.

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The E-PL2 was revealed 4 years earlier than the HX400V and that is quite a significant difference as far as tech is concerned. Both of the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-PL2 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony HX400V being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before going through a detailed comparison, below is a brief summary of how the E-PL2 grades vs the HX400V in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL2 over the Sony HX400V

 E-PL2 HX400V 

Reasons to pick Sony HX400V over the Olympus E-PL2

 HX400V E-PL2 
RevealedFebruary 2014February 2011Fresher by 36 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution921k460kCrisper screen (+461k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-PL2 and Sony HX400V

 E-PL2 HX400V 
Manually focus More accurate focus
Screen sizing3"3"Equivalent screen size
Selfie screen Neither contains selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Neither contains Touch friendly screen

Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony HX400V Physical Comparison

For those who are intending to carry your camera regularly, you should take into account its weight and size. The Olympus E-PL2 has got exterior measurements of 114mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") with a weight of 362 grams (0.80 lbs) while the Sony HX400V has specifications of 130mm x 93mm x 103mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 4.1") along with a weight of 660 grams (1.46 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony HX400V in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you are working with at the time. Following is the front view scale comparison of the E-PL2 compared to the HX400V.

Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony HX400V size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability score of the E-PL2 and HX400V is 85 and 62 respectively.

Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony HX400V top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony HX400V Sensor Comparison

In many cases, its hard to imagine the difference between sensor sizing simply by reading through a spec sheet. The graphic below will give you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-PL2 and HX400V.

As you can see, both of the cameras offer different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-PL2 having a bigger sensor is going to make getting shallow DOF easier and the Sony HX400V will resolve greater detail because of its extra 8 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also let you crop shots a little more aggressively. The older E-PL2 is going to be behind with regard to sensor technology.

Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony HX400V sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony HX400V Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony HX400V Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 Portrait photography information
Sony HX400V Portrait photography information
60
has manual focus
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
supports face detection focusing
exports RAW formats
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
51
you can focus manually
decent sensor resolution (20MP)
comes with face detect focus
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
Photography Glossary

Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-PL2
Street photography with Sony HX400V
73
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
screen is fixed
50
screen tilts up and down
has image stabilization (Optical)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
heavier than competition in class (660g)
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-PL2
Sports photography with Sony HX400V
45
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
supports tracking autofocus
continuous shooting slow (3.0 fps)
sensor resolution low (12MP)
not so great battery power (280 CIPA)
lack of phase detect AF
55
amazing zoom range (24-1200mm 50.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (20MP)
comes with tracking focus
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 Travel photography information
Sony HX400V Travel photography information
51
has built in flash
lack of Timelapse function
not so great battery power (280 CIPA)
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
display is not selfie friendly
53
decent sensor resolution (20MP)
flash built-in
pretty wide (24mm)
great reach (1200mm)
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
heavier than competition in class (660 grams)
does not offer selfie friendly screen
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony HX400V as a Landscape photography camera
61
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice screen size (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
not so great battery power (280 shots)
lack of Timelapse function
49
you can focus manually
pretty wide (24mm)
nice screen size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (20MP)
can't swap lenses (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 as a Vlogging camera
Sony HX400V as a Vlogging camera
29
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
supports face detection focusing
display is not selfie friendly
video resolution low (1280 x 720 pixels)
lack of external microphone port
29
pretty wide (24mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
comes with face detect focus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
comes with mic socket
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
does not offer selfie friendly screen
heavier than competition in class (660 grams)
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Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony HX400V Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL2 and Sony HX400V
 Olympus PEN E-PL2Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX400V
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus PEN E-PL2 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX400V
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Superzoom
Released 2011-02-11 2014-02-12
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless SLR-like (bridge)
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Truepic V Bionz X
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 20 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4032 x 3024 5184 x 3888
Highest native ISO 6400 12800
Minimum native ISO 100 80
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Total focus points 11 9
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 24-1200mm (50.0x)
Max aperture - f/2.8-6.3
Macro focusing range - 1cm
Total lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.8
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Tilting
Screen size 3" 3"
Resolution of screen 460k dots 921k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Screen technology HyperCrystal LCD AR(Anti-Reflective) coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) Electronic
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shutter rate 3.0 frames per sec 10.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 10.00 m 8.50 m (ISO Auto)
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Flash Off / Autoflash / Fill-flash / Slow Sync. / Advanced Flash / Rear Sync. / Wireless (with optional compliant flash)
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize 1/160 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60p, 60i, 24p), 1440 x 1080 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p)
Highest video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 362 gr (0.80 pounds) 660 gr (1.46 pounds)
Dimensions 114 x 72 x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") 130 x 93 x 103mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 4.1")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 55 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 21.4 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.2 not tested
DXO Low light rating 573 not tested
Other
Battery life 280 images 300 images
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLS-5 NP-BX1
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, portrait)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Duo/Memory Stick Pro Duo, Memory Stick Pro-HG Duo
Card slots Single Single
Launch pricing $0 $448