Olympus PEN-F vs Sony HX5
84 Imaging
59 Features
79 Overall
67


92 Imaging
33 Features
30 Overall
31
Olympus PEN-F vs Sony HX5 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 20MP - Four Thirds Sensor
- 3" Fully Articulated Screen
- ISO 200 - 25600
- Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
- 1/8000s Max Shutter
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Micro Four Thirds Mount
- 427g - 125 x 72 x 37mm
- Released January 2016
(Full Review)
- 10MP - 1/2.4" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Screen
- ISO 125 - 3200
- Optical Image Stabilization
- 1920 x 1080 video
- 25-250mm (F3.5-5.5) lens
- 200g - 102 x 58 x 29mm
- Announced June 2010

Olympus PEN-F vs Sony HX5 Overview
In this write-up, we will be reviewing the Olympus PEN-F versus Sony HX5, one being a Advanced Mirrorless and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by competitors Olympus and Sony. There is a crucial difference between the image resolutions of the PEN-F (20MP) and HX5 (10MP) and the PEN-F (Four Thirds) and HX5 (1/2.4") come with totally different sensor sizes.

The PEN-F was announced 5 years later than the HX5 and that is quite a serious gap as far as tech is concerned. Both of these cameras offer different body type with the Olympus PEN-F being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony HX5 being a Compact camera.
Before delving straight into a more detailed comparison, below is a quick highlight of how the PEN-F grades vs the HX5 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Olympus PEN-F vs Sony HX5 Gallery
Below is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus PEN-F and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5. The whole galleries are viewable at Olympus PEN-F Gallery and Sony HX5 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus PEN-F over the Sony HX5
PEN-F | HX5 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Announced | January 2016 | ![]() | June 2010 | More recent by 69 months |
Manual focus | ![]() | Very precise focus | ||
Screen type | Fully Articulated | ![]() | Fixed | Fully Articulating screen |
Screen resolution | 1037k | ![]() | 230k | Crisper screen (+807k dot) |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Easy selfies | ||
Touch friendly screen | ![]() | Quickly navigate |
Reasons to pick Sony HX5 over the Olympus PEN-F
HX5 | PEN-F |
---|
Common features in the Olympus PEN-F and Sony HX5
PEN-F | HX5 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Screen sizing | 3" | ![]() | 3" | Equivalent screen dimensions |
Olympus PEN-F vs Sony HX5 Physical Comparison
For anybody who is going to lug around your camera frequently, you will need to factor in its weight and proportions. The Olympus PEN-F comes with outside dimensions of 125mm x 72mm x 37mm (4.9" x 2.8" x 1.5") accompanied by a weight of 427 grams (0.94 lbs) and the Sony HX5 has measurements of 102mm x 58mm x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1") along with a weight of 200 grams (0.44 lbs).
Compare the Olympus PEN-F versus Sony HX5 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you are utilising during that time. Following is the front view sizing comparison of the PEN-F versus the HX5.

Looking at size and weight, the portability grade of the PEN-F and HX5 is 84 and 92 respectively.

Olympus PEN-F vs Sony HX5 Sensor Comparison
Generally, its hard to see the contrast between sensor measurements simply by reading through a spec sheet. The visual here might give you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the PEN-F and HX5.
As you can see, the two cameras offer different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The PEN-F having a bigger sensor will make getting bokeh easier and the Olympus PEN-F will resolve greater detail with its extra 10 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop shots a little more aggressively. The more modern PEN-F will have a benefit in sensor innovation.

Olympus PEN-F vs Sony HX5 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus PEN-F vs Sony HX5 Specifications
Olympus PEN-F | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Manufacturer | Olympus | Sony |
Model | Olympus PEN-F | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5 |
Category | Advanced Mirrorless | Small Sensor Compact |
Released | 2016-01-27 | 2010-06-16 |
Body design | Rangefinder-style mirrorless | Compact |
Sensor Information | ||
Powered by | TruePic VII | Bionz |
Sensor type | CMOS | BSI-CMOS |
Sensor size | Four Thirds | 1/2.4" |
Sensor measurements | 17.3 x 13mm | 6.104 x 4.578mm |
Sensor surface area | 224.9mm² | 27.9mm² |
Sensor resolution | 20 megapixels | 10 megapixels |
Anti aliasing filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 | 4:3 and 16:9 |
Highest Possible resolution | 5184 x 3888 | 3456 x 2592 |
Maximum native ISO | 25600 | 3200 |
Lowest native ISO | 200 | 125 |
RAW support | ||
Lowest enhanced ISO | 80 | - |
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
Autofocus touch | ||
Autofocus continuous | ||
Single autofocus | ||
Tracking autofocus | ||
Selective autofocus | ||
Autofocus center weighted | ||
Multi area autofocus | ||
Autofocus live view | ||
Face detection autofocus | ||
Contract detection autofocus | ||
Phase detection autofocus | ||
Number of focus points | 81 | 9 |
Lens | ||
Lens mount | Micro Four Thirds | fixed lens |
Lens focal range | - | 25-250mm (10.0x) |
Maximal aperture | - | f/3.5-5.5 |
Macro focus range | - | 5cm |
Number of lenses | 107 | - |
Crop factor | 2.1 | 5.9 |
Screen | ||
Screen type | Fully Articulated | Fixed Type |
Screen sizing | 3 inches | 3 inches |
Resolution of screen | 1,037k dot | 230k dot |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch display | ||
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder type | Electronic | None |
Viewfinder resolution | 2,360k dot | - |
Viewfinder coverage | 100 percent | - |
Viewfinder magnification | 0.62x | - |
Features | ||
Min shutter speed | 60s | 30s |
Max shutter speed | 1/8000s | 1/1600s |
Max silent shutter speed | 1/16000s | - |
Continuous shutter speed | 10.0 frames per sec | 10.0 frames per sec |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Expose Manually | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
Custom white balance | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Integrated flash | ||
Flash range | no built-in flash | 3.80 m |
Flash settings | Flash Auto, Redeye, Fill-in, Flash Off, Red-eye Slow sync (1st curtain), Slow sync (1st curtain), Slow sync (2nd curtain) | Auto, On, Off, Slow syncro |
Hot shoe | ||
Auto exposure bracketing | ||
White balance bracketing | ||
Exposure | ||
Multisegment metering | ||
Average metering | ||
Spot metering | ||
Partial metering | ||
AF area metering | ||
Center weighted metering | ||
Video features | ||
Video resolutions | 1920 x 1080 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p) | 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1440 x 1080 (60, 30fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) |
Maximum video resolution | 1920x1080 | 1920x1080 |
Video file format | MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG | AVCHD |
Microphone jack | ||
Headphone jack | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | Built-In | None |
Bluetooth | ||
NFC | ||
HDMI | ||
USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
GPS | None | BuiltIn |
Physical | ||
Environment seal | ||
Water proof | ||
Dust proof | ||
Shock proof | ||
Crush proof | ||
Freeze proof | ||
Weight | 427 gr (0.94 lbs) | 200 gr (0.44 lbs) |
Dimensions | 125 x 72 x 37mm (4.9" x 2.8" x 1.5") | 102 x 58 x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO Overall score | 74 | not tested |
DXO Color Depth score | 23.1 | not tested |
DXO Dynamic range score | 12.4 | not tested |
DXO Low light score | 894 | not tested |
Other | ||
Battery life | 330 shots | - |
Battery form | Battery Pack | - |
Battery model | BLN-1 | NP-BG1 |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 seconds, custom) | Yes (2 or 10 sec, portrait1/portrait2) |
Time lapse recording | ||
Type of storage | SD/SDHC/SDXC | Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo/ PRO HG-Duo, optional SD/SDHC, Internal |
Storage slots | Single | Single |
Pricing at release | $1,000 | $275 |