Olympus E-PL3 vs Sony HX5

Let's look a little more in depth at the Olympus E-PL3 and Sony HX5, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Compact by companies Olympus and Sony. The sensor resolution of the E-PL3 (12MP) and the HX5 (10MP) is fairly comparable but the E-PL3 (Four Thirds) and HX5 (1/2.4") posses different sensor measurements.

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The E-PL3 was released 16 months later than the HX5 making them a generation apart from each other. Both the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony HX5 being a Compact camera.

Before going right into a full comparison, here is a short highlight of how the E-PL3 grades against the HX5 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN E-PL3 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5. The complete galleries are available at Olympus E-PL3 Gallery & Sony HX5 Gallery.

If you're aiming to carry your camera, you will need to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-PL3 provides exterior measurements of 110mm x 64mm x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") along with a weight of 313 grams (0.69 lbs) and the Sony HX5 has dimensions of 102mm x 58mm x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1") and a weight of 200 grams (0.44 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-PL3 and Sony HX5 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you have during that time. Underneath is a front view sizing comparison of the E-PL3 versus the HX5.

Using size and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL3 and HX5 is 88 and 92 respectively.

Generally, it can be tough to imagine the difference in sensor sizing simply by seeing specs. The photograph here might provide you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PL3 and HX5.

As you can plainly see, both cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The E-PL3 because of its larger sensor is going to make shooting bokeh simpler and the Olympus E-PL3 will produce more detail as a result of its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also let you crop photos more aggressively. The more recent E-PL3 should have an edge with regard to sensor innovation.