Olympus E-PM1 vs Sony HX7V

Its time to look more in depth at the Olympus E-PM1 vs Sony HX7V, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Compact by companies Olympus and Sony. There is a sizable difference among the image resolutions of the E-PM1 (12MP) and HX7V (16MP) and the E-PM1 (Four Thirds) and HX7V (1/2.3") provide different sensor size.

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The E-PM1 was released 5 months later than the HX7V and they are both of a similar age. Each of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-PM1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony HX7V being a Compact camera.

Before getting into a step-by-step comparison, here is a simple view of how the E-PM1 matches up vs the HX7V when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus PEN E-PM1 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX7V. The complete galleries are viewable at Olympus E-PM1 Gallery & Sony HX7V Gallery.

When you are looking to carry your camera, you need to consider its weight and volume. The Olympus E-PM1 has outside measurements of 110mm x 64mm x 34mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.3") with a weight of 265 grams (0.58 lbs) whilst the Sony HX7V has sizing of 102mm x 58mm x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1") having a weight of 208 grams (0.46 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-PM1 vs Sony HX7V in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you have at the time. Following is a front view scale comparison of the E-PM1 compared to the HX7V.

Using size and weight, the portability grade of the E-PM1 and HX7V is 89 and 92 respectively.

Usually, it can be hard to imagine the gap in sensor sizing purely by going through specs. The visual below may provide you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-PM1 and HX7V.

As you can plainly see, both cameras come with different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The E-PM1 due to its larger sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF less difficult and the Sony HX7V will produce greater detail as a result of its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will allow you to crop photos a good deal more aggressively.