Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony HX20V
88 Imaging
52 Features
72 Overall
60


90 Imaging
42 Features
50 Overall
45
Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony HX20V Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
- 3" Tilting Screen
- ISO 200 - 25600
- Sensor based Image Stabilization
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Micro Four Thirds Mount
- 325g - 111 x 64 x 38mm
- Announced September 2012
(Full Review)
- 18MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Screen
- ISO 100 - 12800
- Optical Image Stabilization
- 1920 x 1080 video
- 25-500mm (F3.2-5.8) lens
- 254g - 107 x 62 x 35mm
- Introduced July 2012
- Earlier Model is Sony HX10V
- Successor is Sony HX30V

Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony HX20V Overview
Below is a extensive review of the Olympus E-PL5 and Sony HX20V, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by companies Olympus and Sony. The sensor resolution of the E-PL5 (16MP) and the HX20V (18MP) is pretty close but the E-PL5 (Four Thirds) and HX20V (1/2.3") provide different sensor measurements.

The E-PL5 was introduced 2 months later than the HX20V and they are both of a similar age. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony HX20V being a Compact camera.
Before going straight to a step-by-step comparison, here is a simple overview of how the E-PL5 grades vs the HX20V for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony HX20V Gallery
Below is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus PEN E-PL5 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V. The whole galleries are available at Olympus E-PL5 Gallery & Sony HX20V Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL5 over the Sony HX20V
E-PL5 | HX20V | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Screen type | Tilting | ![]() | Fixed | Tilting screen |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Take selfies | ||
Touch screen | ![]() | Quickly navigate |
Reasons to pick Sony HX20V over the Olympus E-PL5
HX20V | E-PL5 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Screen resolution | 922k | ![]() | 460k | Sharper screen (+462k dot) |
Common features in the Olympus E-PL5 and Sony HX20V
E-PL5 | HX20V | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Introduced | September 2012 | ![]() | July 2012 | Same age |
Focus manually | ![]() | Very precise focus | ||
Screen dimensions | 3" | ![]() | 3" | Equal screen measurements |
Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony HX20V Physical Comparison
If you're planning to lug around your camera, you'll have to think about its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-PL5 provides exterior dimensions of 111mm x 64mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") and a weight of 325 grams (0.72 lbs) whilst the Sony HX20V has measurements of 107mm x 62mm x 35mm (4.2" x 2.4" x 1.4") and a weight of 254 grams (0.56 lbs).
Check the Olympus E-PL5 and Sony HX20V in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Remember that, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you are working with at the time. Underneath is a front view over all size comparison of the E-PL5 versus the HX20V.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL5 and HX20V is 88 and 90 respectively.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony HX20V Sensor Comparison
Often, it is difficult to imagine the difference in sensor measurements only by researching technical specs. The visual here should provide you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PL5 and HX20V.
As you have seen, both the cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-PL5 using its bigger sensor is going to make shooting shallower depth of field easier and the Sony HX20V will render more detail using its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will let you crop photographs more aggressively.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony HX20V Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony HX20V Specifications
Olympus PEN E-PL5 | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Company | Olympus | Sony |
Model | Olympus PEN E-PL5 | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V |
Class | Entry-Level Mirrorless | Small Sensor Superzoom |
Announced | 2012-09-17 | 2012-07-20 |
Body design | Rangefinder-style mirrorless | Compact |
Sensor Information | ||
Processor Chip | - | BIONZ |
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 | 16MP | 18MP |
Anti aliasing filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 4:3 | 4:3 and 16:9 |
Maximum resolution | 4608 x 3456 | 4896 x 3672 |
Maximum native ISO | 25600 | 12800 |
Lowest native ISO | 200 | 100 |
RAW photos | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Manual focus | ||
Autofocus touch | ||
Autofocus continuous | ||
Autofocus single | ||
Autofocus tracking | ||
Autofocus selectice | ||
Autofocus center weighted | ||
Multi area autofocus | ||
Live view autofocus | ||
Face detection focus | ||
Contract detection focus | ||
Phase detection focus | ||
Number of focus points | 35 | 9 |
Lens | ||
Lens mount | Micro Four Thirds | fixed lens |
Lens focal range | - | 25-500mm (20.0x) |
Max aperture | - | f/3.2-5.8 |
Macro focus range | - | 1cm |
Total lenses | 107 | - |
Focal length multiplier | 2.1 | 5.8 |
Screen | ||
Range of screen | Tilting | Fixed Type |
Screen sizing | 3 inches | 3 inches |
Resolution of screen | 460k dot | 922k dot |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch operation | ||
Screen technology | - | XtraFine TruBlack TFT LCD |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder | Electronic (optional) | None |
Features | ||
Lowest shutter speed | 60s | 30s |
Highest shutter speed | 1/4000s | 1/1600s |
Continuous shooting speed | 8.0fps | 10.0fps |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manual exposure | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
Custom white balance | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Integrated flash | ||
Flash range | 7.00 m (bundled FL-LM1) | 7.10 m |
Flash options | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) | Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync |
Hot shoe | ||
AE bracketing | ||
WB bracketing | ||
Highest flash sync | 1/250s | - |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment exposure | ||
Average exposure | ||
Spot exposure | ||
Partial exposure | ||
AF area exposure | ||
Center weighted exposure | ||
Video features | ||
Supported video resolutions | 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) | 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) |
Maximum video resolution | 1920x1080 | 1920x1080 |
Video data format | MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG | MPEG-4, AVCHD |
Mic input | ||
Headphone input | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | Eye-Fi Connected | Eye-Fi Connected |
Bluetooth | ||
NFC | ||
HDMI | ||
USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
GPS | None | BuiltIn |
Physical | ||
Environmental seal | ||
Water proof | ||
Dust proof | ||
Shock proof | ||
Crush proof | ||
Freeze proof | ||
Weight | 325g (0.72 pounds) | 254g (0.56 pounds) |
Physical dimensions | 111 x 64 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") | 107 x 62 x 35mm (4.2" x 2.4" x 1.4") |
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 photos | 320 photos |
Style of battery | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
Battery model | BLS-5 | NP-BG1 |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2) |
Time lapse shooting | ||
Storage media | SD/SDHC/SDXC | SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo |
Storage slots | One | One |
Launch price | $400 | $397 |