Olympus E-PM1 vs Sony HX100V

Lets look more closely at the Olympus E-PM1 and Sony HX100V, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by rivals Olympus and Sony. There exists a substantial gap between the resolutions of the E-PM1 (12MP) and HX100V (16MP) and the E-PM1 (Four Thirds) and HX100V (1/2.3") posses totally different sensor dimensions.

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The E-PM1 was manufactured 2 months after the HX100V which means that they are of a similar age. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PM1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony HX100V being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before getting into a full comparison, here is a brief overview of how the E-PM1 scores against the HX100V when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Below is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus PEN E-PM1 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX100V. The entire galleries are provided at Olympus E-PM1 Gallery & Sony HX100V Gallery.

If you are planning to carry around your camera regularly, you will have to think about its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-PM1 comes with external dimensions of 110mm x 64mm x 34mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.3") accompanied by a weight of 265 grams (0.58 lbs) and the Sony HX100V has dimensions of 122mm x 87mm x 93mm (4.8" x 3.4" x 3.7") having a weight of 577 grams (1.27 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-PM1 and Sony HX100V in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you have attached at the time. Below is a front view proportions comparison of the E-PM1 and the HX100V.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-PM1 and HX100V is 89 and 66 respectively.

More often than not, it can be difficult to see the contrast between sensor sizes merely by checking specifications. The picture here may provide you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PM1 and HX100V.

To sum up, the two cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The E-PM1 featuring a bigger sensor will make getting shallow depth of field less difficult and the Sony HX100V will give greater detail due to its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop pictures a bit more aggressively.