Olympus E-PL6 vs Sony HX5

Here, we will be contrasting the Olympus E-PL6 versus Sony HX5, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by competitors Olympus and Sony. There exists a large gap among the sensor resolutions of the E-PL6 (16MP) and HX5 (10MP) and the E-PL6 (Four Thirds) and HX5 (1/2.4") have different sensor dimensions.

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The E-PL6 was brought out 4 years later than the HX5 and that is a fairly serious difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-PL6 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony HX5 being a Compact camera.

Before going right into a in depth comparison, here is a concise highlight of how the E-PL6 matches up versus the HX5 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

The following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus PEN E-PL6 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5. The entire galleries are available at Olympus E-PL6 Gallery & Sony HX5 Gallery.

In case you're looking to carry your camera often, you need to factor in its weight and volume. The Olympus E-PL6 has outer dimensions of 111mm x 64mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") along with a weight of 325 grams (0.72 lbs) whilst the Sony HX5 has sizing of 102mm x 58mm x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1") having a weight of 200 grams (0.44 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-PL6 versus Sony HX5 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you are utilizing at that time. The following is a front view scale comparison of the E-PL6 compared to the HX5.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL6 and HX5 is 88 and 92 respectively.

Sometimes, it can be difficult to picture the difference in sensor sizing only by going through a spec sheet. The graphic below will give you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL6 and HX5.

As you can see, each of the cameras come with different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The E-PL6 featuring a bigger sensor is going to make shooting shallower DOF simpler and the Olympus E-PL6 will provide more detail having its extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution will let you crop shots a good deal more aggressively. The younger E-PL6 should have an edge when it comes to sensor tech.