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Olympus PEN-F vs Sony HX9V

Portability
84
Imaging
59
Features
79
Overall
67
Olympus PEN-F front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX9V front
Portability
91
Imaging
39
Features
46
Overall
41

Olympus PEN-F vs Sony HX9V Key Specs

Olympus PEN-F
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 427g - 125 x 72 x 37mm
  • Introduced January 2016
Sony HX9V
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-384mm (F3.3-5.9) lens
  • 245g - 105 x 59 x 34mm
  • Revealed July 2011
Photography Glossary

Olympus PEN-F vs Sony HX9V Overview

Here is a in-depth analysis of the Olympus PEN-F vs Sony HX9V, former being a Advanced Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. There exists a substantial gap among the resolutions of the PEN-F (20MP) and HX9V (16MP) and the PEN-F (Four Thirds) and HX9V (1/2.3") use totally different sensor sizing.

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The PEN-F was introduced 4 years later than the HX9V and that is a fairly big difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both cameras come with different body type with the Olympus PEN-F being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony HX9V being a Compact camera.

Before delving through a comprehensive comparison, below is a short summation of how the PEN-F matches up versus the HX9V when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus PEN-F over the Sony HX9V

 PEN-F HX9V 
RevealedJanuary 2016July 2011Fresher by 56 months
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen resolution1037k921kCrisper screen (+116k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Sony HX9V over the Olympus PEN-F

 HX9V PEN-F 

Common features in the Olympus PEN-F and Sony HX9V

 PEN-F HX9V 
Manual focus Dial accurate focus
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen measurement

Olympus PEN-F vs Sony HX9V Physical Comparison

For anyone who is going to carry your camera regularly, you should factor its weight and measurements. The Olympus PEN-F provides exterior measurements of 125mm x 72mm x 37mm (4.9" x 2.8" x 1.5") having a weight of 427 grams (0.94 lbs) and the Sony HX9V has proportions of 105mm x 59mm x 34mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3") and a weight of 245 grams (0.54 lbs).

Check the Olympus PEN-F vs Sony HX9V in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you use at that moment. The following is the front view measurement comparison of the PEN-F versus the HX9V.

Olympus PEN-F vs Sony HX9V size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the PEN-F and HX9V is 84 and 91 respectively.

Olympus PEN-F vs Sony HX9V top view buttons comparison

Olympus PEN-F vs Sony HX9V Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it's difficult to visualise the contrast in sensor sizing merely by looking through technical specs. The photograph below will help give you a better sense of the sensor sizing in the PEN-F and HX9V.

As you can tell, both cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The PEN-F having a bigger sensor will make achieving shallower depth of field easier and the Olympus PEN-F will render extra detail using its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will let you crop pictures somewhat more aggressively. The more modern PEN-F is going to have an advantage when it comes to sensor tech.

Olympus PEN-F vs Sony HX9V sensor size comparison

Olympus PEN-F vs Sony HX9V Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus PEN-F vs Sony HX9V Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus PEN-F Portrait photography info
Sony HX9V Portrait photography info
75
you can focus manually
good resolution (20 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides face detection autofocus
delivers RAW formats
39
you can focus manually
decent MP (16 megapixels)
no external flash support
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
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Street Comparison

Olympus PEN-F as a Street photography camera
Sony HX9V as a Street photography camera
84
screen articulates fully
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
boasts focus via touch
very good high ISO (25,600)
61
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competitors (245g)
no articulating screen
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Olympus PEN-F Sports photography information
Sony HX9V Sports photography information
67
high shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
quiet mode (1/16,000 seconds)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good resolution (20MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides tracking autofocus
terrible battery life (330 shots)
has no phase detect autofocus
44
amazing zoom range (24-384mm 16.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
no shutter priority mode
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus PEN-F
Travel photography with Sony HX9V
75
boasts focus via touch
good resolution (20MP)
display is selfie friendly
terrible battery life (330 per charge)
69
lighter than competitors (245 grams)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
rather wide (24mm)
very long reach (384mm)
does not have Timelapse recording
screen is not selfie friendly
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus PEN-F Landscape photography information
Sony HX9V Landscape photography information
76
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good resolution (20 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
very good high ISO (25,600)
delivers RAW formats
terrible battery life (330 CIPA)
49
you can focus manually
rather wide (24mm)
nice screen size (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
does not have Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus PEN-F Vlogging factors
Sony HX9V Vlogging factors
78
display is selfie friendly
touch screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
provides face detection autofocus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
lack of external mic port
33
rather wide (24mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
lighter than competitors (245 grams)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
screen is not selfie friendly
does not have external microphone support
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Olympus PEN-F vs Sony HX9V Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus PEN-F and Sony HX9V
 Olympus PEN-FSony Cyber-shot DSC-HX9V
General Information
Company Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus PEN-F Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX9V
Type Advanced Mirrorless Small Sensor Superzoom
Introduced 2016-01-27 2011-07-19
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic VII BIONZ
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 20 megapixels 16 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 5184 x 3888 4608 x 3456
Maximum native ISO 25600 3200
Lowest native ISO 200 100
RAW photos
Lowest enhanced ISO 80 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Total focus points 81 9
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 24-384mm (16.0x)
Maximum aperture - f/3.3-5.9
Number of lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.8
Screen
Screen type Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Screen size 3" 3"
Resolution of screen 1,037 thousand dots 921 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Screen tech - XtraFine LCD display with TruBlack technology
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 2,360 thousand dots -
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.62x -
Features
Min shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/8000 seconds 1/1600 seconds
Max silent shutter speed 1/16000 seconds -
Continuous shutter rate 10.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 4.00 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 Sync
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p) 1920 x 1080 (60fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 1280 x 720 (30fps), 640 x 480 (30fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 427 gr (0.94 lbs) 245 gr (0.54 lbs)
Dimensions 125 x 72 x 37mm (4.9" x 2.8" x 1.5") 105 x 59 x 34mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 74 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 23.1 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.4 not tested
DXO Low light rating 894 not tested
Other
Battery life 330 images -
Type of battery Battery Pack -
Battery ID BLN-1 NP-BG1
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 seconds, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Duo/Memory Stick Pro Duo, Memory Stick Pro-HG Duo
Card slots Single Single
Cost at release $1,000 $328