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Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony H300

Portability
88
Imaging
52
Features
72
Overall
60
Olympus PEN E-PL5 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H300 front
Portability
63
Imaging
45
Features
37
Overall
41

Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony H300 Key Specs

Olympus E-PL5
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 325g - 111 x 64 x 38mm
  • Introduced September 2012
Sony H300
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-875mm (F3-5.9) lens
  • 590g - 130 x 95 x 122mm
  • Announced February 2014
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Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony H300 Overview

On this page, we are looking at the Olympus E-PL5 versus Sony H300, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by companies Olympus and Sony. The sensor resolution of the E-PL5 (16MP) and the H300 (20MP) is fairly well matched but the E-PL5 (Four Thirds) and H300 (1/2.3") provide different sensor sizes.

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The E-PL5 was unveiled 17 months prior to the H300 making them a generation away from one another. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony H300 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before getting right into a more detailed comparison, here is a short highlight of how the E-PL5 grades versus the H300 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL5 over the Sony H300

 E-PL5 H300 
Manually focus Dial accurate focus
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Sony H300 over the Olympus E-PL5

 H300 E-PL5 
AnnouncedFebruary 2014September 2012Newer by 17 months

Common features in the Olympus E-PL5 and Sony H300

 E-PL5 H300 
Display dimensions3"3"Equal display dimensions
Display resolution460k460kSame display resolution

Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony H300 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is aiming to travel with your camera regularly, you will need to factor in its weight and volume. The Olympus E-PL5 enjoys external measurements of 111mm x 64mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") along with a weight of 325 grams (0.72 lbs) and the Sony H300 has sizing of 130mm x 95mm x 122mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 4.8") with a weight of 590 grams (1.30 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-PL5 versus Sony H300 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you use at that time. The following is a front view physical size comparison of the E-PL5 versus the H300.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony H300 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL5 and H300 is 88 and 63 respectively.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony H300 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony H300 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it's hard to picture the gap between sensor dimensions only by checking technical specs. The pic here may give you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the E-PL5 and H300.

As you can tell, each of these cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The E-PL5 using its larger sensor is going to make shooting shallower DOF easier and the Sony H300 will resolve extra detail having an extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop images more aggressively. The more aged E-PL5 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony H300 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony H300 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony H300 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Portrait photography highlights
Sony H300 Portrait photography highlights
71
has manual focus
resolution is good (16MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports face detect focus
supports RAW files
40
megapixel count good (20MP)
comes with face detect focus
focusing manually not possible
can't use external flash
very small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW support
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-PL5
Street photography with Sony H300
85
tilting screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
features focus by touch
good ISO range (25,600)
43
image stabilization (Optical)
screen does not articulate
very small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW support
heavier than competition (590g)
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-PL5
Sports photography with Sony H300
66
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports tracking focus
lack of phase detect auto focus
50
incredible zoom range (25-875mm 35.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count good (20 megapixels)
comes with tracking focus
good battery (350 CIPA)
very slow continuous shooting (1.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority mode
very small sensor (1/2.3")
no phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Travel photography advice
Sony H300 Travel photography advice
75
features focus by touch
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
display is selfie friendly
does not have Timelapse function
56
good battery (350 per charge)
megapixel count good (20MP)
has built in flash
decently wide (25mm)
great zoom (875mm)
no Time Lapse mode
heavier than competition (590g)
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
sluggish max aperture (f3)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony H300 as a Landscape photography camera
74
has manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
good sized screen (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (16MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
good ISO range (25,600)
supports RAW files
does not have Timelapse function
47
decently wide (25mm)
good sized screen (3")
image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count good (20MP)
good battery (350 CIPA)
focusing manually not possible
cannot swap lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW support
no Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 Vlogging features
Sony H300 Vlogging features
78
display is selfie friendly
touchscreen capability
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
supports face detect focus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
does not have microphone jack
24
decently wide (25mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
comes with face detect focus
sluggish max aperture (f3)
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
low res video (1280 x 720 resolution)
no mic support
heavier than competition (590g)
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Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony H300 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL5 and Sony H300
 Olympus PEN E-PL5Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H300
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Sony
Model Olympus PEN E-PL5 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H300
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Superzoom
Introduced 2012-09-17 2014-02-13
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless SLR-like (bridge)
Sensor Information
Processor Chip - Bionz(R)
Sensor type CMOS CCD
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 16MP 20MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3 and 16:9
Full resolution 4608 x 3456 5152 x 3864
Max native ISO 25600 3200
Minimum native ISO 200 80
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Number of focus points 35 -
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 25-875mm (35.0x)
Maximal aperture - f/3-5.9
Total lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.8
Screen
Display type Tilting Fixed Type
Display size 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 460 thousand dots 460 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Display technology - Clear Photo LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) None
Viewfinder resolution - 201 thousand dots
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60s 30s
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000s 1/1500s
Continuous shooting rate 8.0fps 1.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 7.00 m (bundled FL-LM1) 8.80 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, Flash On, Slow Synchro, Flash Off, Advanced Flash
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/250s -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30p)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, H.264
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 325 grams (0.72 pounds) 590 grams (1.30 pounds)
Physical dimensions 111 x 64 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") 130 x 95 x 122mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 4.8")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 72 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 22.8 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 12.3 not tested
DXO Low light score 889 not tested
Other
Battery life 360 shots 350 shots
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLS-5 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (Off, 10 sec, 2 sec, portrait1, portrait2)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick PRO Duo/Pro-HG Duo
Card slots Single Single
Retail price $400 $249