Olympus E-PL9 vs Sony HX30V

Below is a extended assessment of the Olympus E-PL9 versus Sony HX30V, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. The resolution of the E-PL9 (16MP) and the HX30V (18MP) is very well matched but the E-PL9 (Four Thirds) and HX30V (1/2.3") have totally different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The E-PL9 was introduced 6 years later than the HX30V and that is quite a sizable difference as far as tech is concerned. The two cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL9 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony HX30V being a Compact camera.

Before going into a more detailed comparison, here is a simple view of how the E-PL9 matches up vs the HX30V in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus PEN E-PL9 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX30V. The whole galleries are provided at Olympus E-PL9 Gallery & Sony HX30V Gallery.

If you're going to lug around your camera frequently, you should take into account its weight and size. The Olympus E-PL9 comes with outside dimensions of 117mm x 68mm x 39mm (4.6" x 2.7" x 1.5") and a weight of 380 grams (0.84 lbs) whilst the Sony HX30V has specifications of 107mm x 62mm x 35mm (4.2" x 2.4" x 1.4") and a weight of 254 grams (0.56 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-PL9 versus Sony HX30V in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you select during that time. Underneath is a front view measurement comparison of the E-PL9 compared to the HX30V.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL9 and HX30V is 85 and 90 respectively.

In many cases, its difficult to see the difference between sensor measurements just by checking specs. The photograph below will provide you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL9 and HX30V.

As you can plainly see, both cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-PL9 using its larger sensor will make achieving shallower DOF simpler and the Sony HX30V will give greater detail using its extra 2MP. Greater resolution will allow you to crop photos more aggressively. The more modern E-PL9 will have an advantage when it comes to sensor technology.