Olympus E-PL7 vs Sony HX80

Let's look more in depth at the Olympus E-PL7 versus Sony HX80, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. The image resolution of the E-PL7 (16MP) and the HX80 (18MP) is pretty comparable but the E-PL7 (Four Thirds) and HX80 (1/2.3") boast totally different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The E-PL7 was launched 18 months before the HX80 which makes them a generation away from one another. Both cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-PL7 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony HX80 being a Compact camera.

Before getting straight to a complete comparison, here is a short summary of how the E-PL7 matches up against the HX80 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Here is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus PEN E-PL7 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX80. The complete galleries are available at Olympus E-PL7 Gallery and Sony HX80 Gallery.

When you are looking to travel with your camera regularly, you'll have to consider its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-PL7 enjoys outside dimensions of 115mm x 67mm x 38mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 1.5") along with a weight of 357 grams (0.79 lbs) while the Sony HX80 has dimensions of 102mm x 58mm x 36mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.4") along with a weight of 245 grams (0.54 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-PL7 versus Sony HX80 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you are employing at that moment. The following is a front view dimensions comparison of the E-PL7 compared to the HX80.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL7 and HX80 is 86 and 91 respectively.

Typically, its difficult to see the difference in sensor dimensions merely by going through specs. The picture below should give you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PL7 and HX80.

All in all, the two cameras feature different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The E-PL7 due to its bigger sensor will make shooting shallower depth of field easier and the Sony HX80 will produce more detail utilizing its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop shots way more aggressively. The more aged E-PL7 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor technology.