Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony HX5

Lets look more closely at the Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony HX5, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Compact by companies Olympus and Sony. There exists a sizeable gap among the image resolutions of the E-PL5 (16MP) and HX5 (10MP) and the E-PL5 (Four Thirds) and HX5 (1/2.4") provide totally different sensor sizing.

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The E-PL5 was announced 2 years later than the HX5 and that is a fairly large gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony HX5 being a Compact camera.

Before getting straight to a more detailed comparison, here is a quick summary of how the E-PL5 matches up against the HX5 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus PEN E-PL5 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5. The whole galleries are provided at Olympus E-PL5 Gallery and Sony HX5 Gallery.

For anyone who is looking to carry your camera, you should think about its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-PL5 features outside 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 HX5 has measurements of 102mm x 58mm x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1") along with a weight of 200 grams (0.44 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony HX5 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you are working with at the time. Following is a front view measurement comparison of the E-PL5 versus the HX5.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-PL5 and HX5 is 88 and 92 respectively.

Quite often, it is very hard to see the gap in sensor sizing merely by going through specs. The photograph below will give you a clearer sense of the sensor measurements in the E-PL5 and HX5.

All in all, the two cameras have different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-PL5 using its larger sensor will make getting shallower depth of field easier and the Olympus E-PL5 will show more detail with its extra 6MP. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop pics a bit more aggressively. The fresher E-PL5 is going to have a benefit with regard to sensor innovation.