Olympus E-PL9 vs Sony HX300

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.

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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.

This is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus PEN E-PL9 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX300. The entire galleries are viewable at Olympus E-PL9 Gallery and Sony HX300 Gallery.

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.

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.

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

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.