Clicky

Olympus E-PL7 vs Sony HX5

Portability
86
Imaging
53
Features
81
Overall
64
Olympus PEN E-PL7 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5 front
Portability
92
Imaging
33
Features
30
Overall
31

Olympus E-PL7 vs Sony HX5 Key Specs

Olympus E-PL7
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 357g - 115 x 67 x 38mm
  • Revealed September 2014
  • Succeeded the Olympus E-PL6
  • Refreshed by Olympus E-PL8
Sony HX5
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.4" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 125 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-250mm (F3.5-5.5) lens
  • 200g - 102 x 58 x 29mm
  • Released June 2010
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

Olympus E-PL7 vs Sony HX5 Overview

Lets look more closely at the Olympus E-PL7 and Sony HX5, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Compact by brands Olympus and Sony. There is a big difference among the image resolutions of the E-PL7 (16MP) and HX5 (10MP) and the E-PL7 (Four Thirds) and HX5 (1/2.4") boast totally different sensor sizes.

Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

The E-PL7 was revealed 4 years later than the HX5 and that is a fairly big gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL7 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony HX5 being a Compact camera.

Before getting straight to a detailed comparison, here is a simple introduction of how the E-PL7 grades vs the HX5 for portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL7 over the Sony HX5

 E-PL7 HX5 
ReleasedSeptember 2014June 2010Fresher by 52 months
Manual focus Dial accurate focus
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display resolution1037k230kCrisper display (+807k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Sony HX5 over the Olympus E-PL7

 HX5 E-PL7 

Common features in the Olympus E-PL7 and Sony HX5

 E-PL7 HX5 
Display dimensions3"3"Equal display dimensions

Olympus E-PL7 vs Sony HX5 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is intending to carry your camera regularly, you will want to consider its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-PL7 has got exterior dimensions of 115mm x 67mm x 38mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 1.5") with a weight of 357 grams (0.79 lbs) whilst the Sony HX5 has measurements of 102mm x 58mm x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1") accompanied by a weight of 200 grams (0.44 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-PL7 and Sony HX5 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you have chosen at that moment. The following is a front view over all size comparison of the E-PL7 vs the HX5.

Olympus E-PL7 vs Sony HX5 size comparison

Using size and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL7 and HX5 is 86 and 92 respectively.

Olympus E-PL7 vs Sony HX5 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL7 vs Sony HX5 Sensor Comparison

Generally, it is difficult to see the contrast in sensor sizing just by checking out technical specs. The photograph below will give you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL7 and HX5.

As you have seen, both of those cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-PL7 with its larger sensor will make shooting bokeh less difficult and the Olympus E-PL7 will show more detail because of its extra 6MP. Greater resolution will also allow you to crop images more aggressively. The younger E-PL7 will have an edge when it comes to sensor tech.

Olympus E-PL7 vs Sony HX5 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL7 vs Sony HX5 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL7 vs Sony HX5 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL7 Portrait photography info
Sony HX5 Portrait photography info
71
manual focus
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
features face detection focusing
saves RAW files
19
focusing manually not possible
cannot use external flash
low megapixels (10MP)
sensor size is very small (1/2.4")
lack of RAW support
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-PL7
Street photography with Sony HX5
84
has a tilting screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
offers touch focus
very good high ISO (25,600)
55
has image stabilization (Optical)
fixed screen
sensor size is very small (1/2.4")
lack of RAW support
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL7 Sports photography info
Sony HX5 Sports photography info
66
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
features tracking autofocus
no phase detect AF
26
has image stabilization (Optical)
lack of shutter priority mode
low megapixels (10MP)
sensor size is very small (1/2.4")
lack of phase detect AF
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL7 Travel photography info
Sony HX5 Travel photography info
85
offers touch focus
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
display is selfie friendly
60
built-in flash
pretty wide (25mm)
great reach (250mm)
missing Time Lapse mode
low megapixels (10 megapixels)
screen is not selfie friendly
slow max aperture (f3.5)
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL7 Landscape photography advice
Sony HX5 Landscape photography advice
79
manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice screen size (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
very good high ISO (25,600)
saves RAW files
37
pretty wide (25mm)
screen size is decent (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Optical)
focusing manually not possible
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.5)
low megapixels (10MP)
sensor size is very small (1/2.4")
lack of RAW support
missing Time Lapse mode
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-PL7
Vlogging with Sony HX5
78
display is selfie friendly
touchscreen functionality
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
features face detection focusing
good video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lack of external microphone port
31
pretty wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
slow max aperture (f3.5)
screen is not selfie friendly
missing mic jack
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Olympus E-PL7 vs Sony HX5 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL7 and Sony HX5
 Olympus PEN E-PL7Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus PEN E-PL7 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Revealed 2014-09-01 2010-06-16
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic VII Bionz
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.4"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.104 x 4.578mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 27.9mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 10 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3 and 16:9
Max resolution 4608 x 3456 3456 x 2592
Max native ISO 25600 3200
Lowest native ISO 100 125
RAW files
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
Tracking AF
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Total focus points 81 9
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 25-250mm (10.0x)
Max aperture - f/3.5-5.5
Macro focusing range - 5cm
Available lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.9
Screen
Screen type Tilting Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3 inch 3 inch
Screen resolution 1,037 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) None
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60s 30s
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/1600s
Continuous shutter speed 8.0 frames per sec 10.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 3.80 m
Flash options no built-in flash Auto, On, Off, Slow syncro
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1440 x 1080 (60, 30fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video format H.264, Motion JPEG AVCHD
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 357 grams (0.79 pounds) 200 grams (0.44 pounds)
Physical dimensions 115 x 67 x 38mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 1.5") 102 x 58 x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 72 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 22.7 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.4 not tested
DXO Low light rating 873 not tested
Other
Battery life 350 shots -
Style of battery Battery Pack -
Battery ID BLS-50 NP-BG1
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec, portrait1/portrait2)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC card Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo/ PRO HG-Duo, optional SD/SDHC, Internal
Storage slots Single Single
Launch pricing $499 $275