Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony HX9V

Let's look a little more in depth at the Olympus E-PL2 and Sony HX9V, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by companies Olympus and Sony. There is a sizeable difference among the resolutions of the E-PL2 (12MP) and HX9V (16MP) and the E-PL2 (Four Thirds) and HX9V (1/2.3") possess different sensor sizes.

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The E-PL2 was introduced 5 months before the HX9V so they are both of a similar generation. Each of these cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-PL2 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony HX9V being a Compact camera.

Before diving straight into a detailed comparison, below is a simple overview of how the E-PL2 scores against the HX9V with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN E-PL2 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX9V. The whole galleries are available at Olympus E-PL2 Gallery and Sony HX9V Gallery.

For those who are planning to lug around your camera regularly, you're going to have to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-PL2 provides outside dimensions of 114mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") along with a weight of 362 grams (0.80 lbs) and the Sony HX9V has dimensions of 105mm x 59mm x 34mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3") along with a weight of 245 grams (0.54 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-PL2 and Sony HX9V in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you are utilising during that time. Below is the front view physical size comparison of the E-PL2 versus the HX9V.

Looking at size and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL2 and HX9V is 85 and 91 respectively.

Often, it's hard to imagine the difference in sensor measurements simply by looking through specs. The photograph below should give you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PL2 and HX9V.

All in all, each of the cameras enjoy different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-PL2 with its larger sensor is going to make getting shallower depth of field less difficult and the Sony HX9V will render greater detail using its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also enable you to crop images far more aggressively.