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Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony HX5

Portability
85
Imaging
48
Features
47
Overall
47
Olympus PEN E-PL2 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5 front
Portability
92
Imaging
33
Features
30
Overall
31

Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony HX5 Key Specs

Olympus E-PL2
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • 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
  • Renewed by Olympus E-PL3
Sony HX5
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.4" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 125 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-250mm (F3.5-5.5) lens
  • 200g - 102 x 58 x 29mm
  • Introduced June 2010
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Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony HX5 Overview

Here is a in depth overview of the Olympus E-PL2 versus Sony HX5, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by competitors Olympus and Sony. The resolution of the E-PL2 (12MP) and the HX5 (10MP) is relatively comparable but the E-PL2 (Four Thirds) and HX5 (1/2.4") have totally different sensor dimensions.

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The E-PL2 was announced 8 months later than the HX5 so they are both of a similar generation. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-PL2 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony HX5 being a Compact camera.

Before we go right into a in-depth comparison, here is a brief synopsis of how the E-PL2 grades versus the HX5 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL2 over the Sony HX5

 E-PL2 HX5 
IntroducedFebruary 2011June 2010Fresher by 8 months
Manual focus Dial accurate focus
Screen resolution460k230kSharper screen (+230k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony HX5 over the Olympus E-PL2

 HX5 E-PL2 

Common features in the Olympus E-PL2 and Sony HX5

 E-PL2 HX5 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen size3"3"Same screen sizing
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen
Touch screen Neither contains Touch screen

Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony HX5 Physical Comparison

In case you're looking to carry your camera frequently, you'll have to factor in its weight and volume. The Olympus E-PL2 has got outer measurements of 114mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") with a weight of 362 grams (0.80 lbs) and the Sony HX5 has sizing of 102mm x 58mm x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1") along with a weight of 200 grams (0.44 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-PL2 versus Sony HX5 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you have at the time. Here is a front view physical size comparison of the E-PL2 compared to the HX5.

Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony HX5 size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL2 and HX5 is 85 and 92 respectively.

Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony HX5 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony HX5 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, its hard to visualise the contrast in sensor sizing simply by seeing specifications. The graphic here will give you a better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PL2 and HX5.

Plainly, each of the cameras come with different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-PL2 using its bigger sensor will make getting shallower depth of field simpler and the Olympus E-PL2 will produce more detail with its extra 2MP. Higher resolution will allow you to crop photographs a good deal more aggressively. The more modern E-PL2 will have an advantage with regard to sensor technology.

Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony HX5 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony HX5 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony HX5 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-PL2
Portrait photography with Sony HX5
60
has manual focus
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
offers face detection autofocus
exports RAW formats
low resolution sensor (12 megapixels)
19
lack of manual focus
no external flash support
low megapixels (10 megapixels)
tiny sensor size (1/2.4")
has no RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 as a Street photography camera
Sony HX5 as a Street photography camera
73
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
no moving screen
55
has image stabilization (Optical)
fixed screen
tiny sensor size (1/2.4")
has no RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 Sports photography information
Sony HX5 Sports photography information
45
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
offers tracking autofocus
very slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames per second)
low resolution sensor (12 megapixels)
not so great battery power (280 per charge)
lacks phase detect autofocus
26
has image stabilization (Optical)
no shutter priority mode
low megapixels (10 megapixels)
tiny sensor size (1/2.4")
has no phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 Travel photography information
Sony HX5 Travel photography information
51
has built in flash
no Time Lapse mode
not so great battery power (280 CIPA)
low resolution sensor (12 megapixels)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
60
built-in flash
relatively wide (25mm)
long reach (250mm)
does not have Timelapse function
low megapixels (10MP)
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony HX5 as a Landscape photography camera
61
has manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
low resolution sensor (12 megapixels)
not so great battery power (280 CIPA)
no Time Lapse mode
37
relatively wide (25mm)
pretty good screen size (3")
has image stabilization (Optical)
lack of manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
low megapixels (10MP)
tiny sensor size (1/2.4")
has no RAW format
does not have Timelapse function
Photography Glossary

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 as a Vlogging camera
Sony HX5 as a Vlogging camera
29
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
offers face detection autofocus
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
video resolution low (1280 x 720 resolution)
no external mic port
31
relatively wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
does not have microphone jack
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Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony HX5 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL2 and Sony HX5
 Olympus PEN E-PL2Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5
General Information
Make Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus PEN E-PL2 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Released 2011-02-11 2010-06-16
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Truepic V Bionz
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.4"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.104 x 4.578mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 27.9mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 10MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4032 x 3024 3456 x 2592
Maximum native ISO 6400 3200
Min native ISO 100 125
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
Tracking AF
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 11 9
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 25-250mm (10.0x)
Highest aperture - f/3.5-5.5
Macro focusing range - 5cm
Total lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.9
Screen
Range of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display sizing 3 inch 3 inch
Display resolution 460 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Display tech HyperCrystal LCD AR(Anti-Reflective) coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/1600 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 3.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 10.00 m 3.80 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Slow syncro
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/160 seconds -
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 (60 fps), 1440 x 1080 (60, 30fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video format Motion JPEG AVCHD
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 362 gr (0.80 lbs) 200 gr (0.44 lbs)
Physical dimensions 114 x 72 x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") 102 x 58 x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1")
DXO scores
DXO All around 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 photographs -
Battery format Battery Pack -
Battery ID BLS-5 NP-BG1
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, portrait1/portrait2)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo/ PRO HG-Duo, optional SD/SDHC, Internal
Storage slots One One
Cost at launch $0 $275