Clicky

Olympus E-PL9 vs Sony HX300

Portability
85
Imaging
55
Features
78
Overall
64
Olympus PEN E-PL9 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX300 front
Portability
63
Imaging
44
Features
51
Overall
46

Olympus E-PL9 vs Sony HX300 Key Specs

Olympus E-PL9
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 200 - 6400 (Boost to 25600)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 380g - 117 x 68 x 39mm
  • Introduced February 2018
  • Older Model is Olympus E-PL8
Sony HX300
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 80 - 12800
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-1200mm (F2.8-6.3) lens
  • 623g - 130 x 103 x 93mm
  • Announced February 2013
  • Older Model is Sony HX200V
  • New Model is Sony HX400V
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-PL9 vs Sony HX300 Overview

Let's look more closely at the Olympus E-PL9 and Sony HX300, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by companies Olympus and Sony. The sensor resolution of the E-PL9 (16MP) and the HX300 (20MP) is relatively close but the E-PL9 (Four Thirds) and HX300 (1/2.3") posses different sensor sizes.

Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

The E-PL9 was manufactured 5 years later than the HX300 and that is a fairly large gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL9 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony HX300 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before getting right into a in-depth comparison, here is a brief summation of how the E-PL9 matches up vs the HX300 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL9 over the Sony HX300

 E-PL9 HX300 
AnnouncedFebruary 2018February 2013Fresher by 61 months
Screen resolution1040k921kClearer screen (+119k dot)
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Sony HX300 over the Olympus E-PL9

 HX300 E-PL9 

Common features in the Olympus E-PL9 and Sony HX300

 E-PL9 HX300 
Manual focus More precise focusing
Screen typeTiltingTiltingTilting screen
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen dimensions
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen

Olympus E-PL9 vs Sony HX300 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is planning to carry your camera regularly, you will need to take into account its weight and volume. The Olympus E-PL9 provides physical dimensions of 117mm x 68mm x 39mm (4.6" x 2.7" x 1.5") with a weight of 380 grams (0.84 lbs) whilst the Sony HX300 has sizing of 130mm x 103mm x 93mm (5.1" x 4.1" x 3.7") along with a weight of 623 grams (1.37 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-PL9 and Sony HX300 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you have attached at that time. The following is a front view physical size comparison of the E-PL9 versus the HX300.

Olympus E-PL9 vs Sony HX300 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL9 and HX300 is 85 and 63 respectively.

Olympus E-PL9 vs Sony HX300 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL9 vs Sony HX300 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it's hard to imagine the difference in sensor sizing simply by viewing technical specs. The visual below may provide you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL9 and HX300.

As you have seen, both the cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The E-PL9 due to its bigger sensor is going to make achieving shallower depth of field easier and the Sony HX300 will provide you with greater detail due to its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also let you crop photographs more aggressively. The more modern E-PL9 should have an advantage when it comes to sensor technology.

Olympus E-PL9 vs Sony HX300 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL9 vs Sony HX300 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL9 vs Sony HX300 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-PL9
Portrait photography with Sony HX300
73
you can focus manually
good resolution (16MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
provides face detect focusing
exports RAW files
42
you can focus manually
MP count decent (20 megapixels)
no external flash support
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-PL9
Street photography with Sony HX300
84
screen tilts
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
boasts focus via touch
50
screen tilts
built in image stabilization (Optical)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
heavier than average in class (623g)
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL9 Sports photography features
Sony HX300 Sports photography features
69
quiet mode (1/16,000s)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good resolution (16MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
provides tracking focus
does not have phase detect AF
55
excellent zoom range (24-1200mm 50.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
MP count decent (20MP)
has tracking autofocus
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect AF
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL9 Travel photography details
Sony HX300 Travel photography details
77
connects via bluetooth
boasts focus via touch
good resolution (16MP)
flash built-in
display isn't selfie friendly
54
MP count decent (20MP)
built-in flash
reasonably wide (24mm)
great reach (1200mm)
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
heavier than average in class (623g)
screen is not selfie friendly
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-PL9
Landscape photography with Sony HX300
80
you can focus manually
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
good sized screen (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good resolution (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
48
you can focus manually
reasonably wide (24mm)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
MP count decent (20MP)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL9 as a Vlogging camera
Sony HX300 as a Vlogging camera
35
touchscreen functionality
image stabilization (Sensor based)
provides face detect focusing
good video quality (3840 x 2160 resolution)
display isn't selfie friendly
doesn't have microphone socket
25
reasonably wide (24mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
screen is not selfie friendly
doesn't have external mic jack
heavier than average in class (623 grams)
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

Olympus E-PL9 vs Sony HX300 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL9 and Sony HX300
 Olympus PEN E-PL9Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX300
General Information
Company Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus PEN E-PL9 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX300
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Superzoom
Introduced 2018-02-08 2013-02-20
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless SLR-like (bridge)
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic VIII -
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.16 x 4.62mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 28.5mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 20 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 -
Max resolution 4608 x 3456 5184 x 3888
Max native ISO 6400 12800
Max enhanced ISO 25600 -
Lowest native ISO 200 80
RAW support
Lowest enhanced ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Total focus points 121 9
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 24-1200mm (50.0x)
Maximum aperture - f/2.8-6.3
Number of lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.8
Screen
Screen type Tilting Tilting
Screen size 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of screen 1,040 thousand dot 921 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) Electronic
Features
Min shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Max silent shutter speed 1/16000 seconds -
Continuous shutter speed 8.6 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 7.60 m (at ISO 200) -
Flash settings Auto, manual, redeye reduction, slow sync w/redeye reduction, slow sync , slow sync 2nd-curtain, fill-in, off -
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 102 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM 1920 x 1080 (60, 50 fps)
Max video resolution 3840x2160 1920x1080
Video format MPEG-4, H.264 -
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 None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 380 gr (0.84 lb) 623 gr (1.37 lb)
Physical dimensions 117 x 68 x 39mm (4.6" x 2.7" x 1.5") 130 x 103 x 93mm (5.1" x 4.1" x 3.7")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 350 photos -
Battery format Battery Pack -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom) -
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC card (UHS-I supported) -
Storage slots One One
Launch cost $599 $339