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Olympus SH-50 vs Sony HX5

Portability
88
Imaging
40
Features
48
Overall
43
Olympus SH-50 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5 front
Portability
92
Imaging
33
Features
30
Overall
31

Olympus SH-50 vs Sony HX5 Key Specs

Olympus SH-50
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 125 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-600mm (F3.0-6.9) lens
  • 269g - 112 x 63 x 42mm
  • Revealed January 2013
Sony HX5
(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
  • Released June 2010
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Olympus SH-50 vs Sony HX5 Overview

Below is a complete overview of the Olympus SH-50 versus Sony HX5, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. There exists a considerable gap among the image resolutions of the SH-50 (16MP) and HX5 (10MP) and the SH-50 (1/2.3") and HX5 (1/2.4") feature different sensor sizing.

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The SH-50 was introduced 2 years later than the HX5 and that is a fairly large difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of these cameras offer the identical body type (Compact).

Before delving through a full comparison, below is a short highlight of how the SH-50 scores vs the HX5 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus SH-50 over the Sony HX5

 SH-50 HX5 
ReleasedJanuary 2013June 2010More recent by 32 months
Focus manually Very exact focus
Screen resolution460k230kCrisper screen (+230k dot)
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Sony HX5 over the Olympus SH-50

 HX5 SH-50 

Common features in the Olympus SH-50 and Sony HX5

 SH-50 HX5 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen sizing3"3"Equivalent screen measurement
Selfie screen Absent selfie screen

Olympus SH-50 vs Sony HX5 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is going to lug around your camera frequently, you will need to think about its weight and dimensions. The Olympus SH-50 has got exterior measurements of 112mm x 63mm x 42mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.7") having a weight of 269 grams (0.59 lbs) whilst the Sony HX5 has dimensions of 102mm x 58mm x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1") with a weight of 200 grams (0.44 lbs).

See the Olympus SH-50 versus Sony HX5 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you have during that time. Here is the front view measurements comparison of the SH-50 compared to the HX5.

Olympus SH-50 vs Sony HX5 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the SH-50 and HX5 is 88 and 92 respectively.

Olympus SH-50 vs Sony HX5 top view buttons comparison

Olympus SH-50 vs Sony HX5 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it is very tough to imagine the difference in sensor measurements simply by seeing technical specs. The photograph below should provide you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the SH-50 and HX5.

As you can tell, both cameras offer different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The SH-50 using its bigger sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF less difficult and the Olympus SH-50 will show more detail using its extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop shots a little more aggressively. The younger SH-50 should have an edge when it comes to sensor tech.

Olympus SH-50 vs Sony HX5 sensor size comparison

Olympus SH-50 vs Sony HX5 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus SH-50 vs Sony HX5 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus SH-50 Portrait photography details
Sony HX5 Portrait photography details
44
focusing manually
MP count good (16 megapixels)
comes with face detection focus
external flash not possible
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW format
19
lack of manual focus
no external flash support
low resolution sensor (10MP)
small sensor size (1/2.4")
doesn't have RAW files
Photography Glossary

Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus SH-50
Street photography with Sony HX5
64
has image stabilization (Optical)
features touch to focus
lighter than average in class (269g)
screen is fixed
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW format
55
built in image stabilization (Optical)
no articulating screen
small sensor size (1/2.4")
doesn't have RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Olympus SH-50 as a Sports photography camera
Sony HX5 as a Sports photography camera
48
excellent zoom range (25-600mm 24.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Optical)
MP count good (16MP)
comes with tracking autofocus
no shutter priority
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
no phase detect auto focus
26
built in image stabilization (Optical)
no shutter priority mode
low resolution sensor (10MP)
small sensor size (1/2.4")
doesn't have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus SH-50
Travel photography with Sony HX5
69
lighter than average in class (269 grams)
features touch to focus
MP count good (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
relatively wide (25mm)
great reach (600mm)
lack of Time Lapse recording
display is not selfie friendly
slow max aperture (f3.0)
60
has built in flash
really wide (25mm)
long reach (250mm)
does not have Timelapse mode
low resolution sensor (10MP)
screen is not selfie friendly
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus SH-50 Landscape photography info
Sony HX5 Landscape photography info
49
focusing manually
relatively wide (25mm)
pretty good screen size (3")
has image stabilization (Optical)
MP count good (16MP)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.0)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW format
lack of Time Lapse recording
37
really wide (25mm)
decent sized screen (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lack of manual focus
can't change lenses (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
low resolution sensor (10 megapixels)
small sensor size (1/2.4")
doesn't have RAW files
does not have Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus SH-50 Vlogging advice
Sony HX5 Vlogging advice
34
relatively wide (25mm)
touchscreen
has image stabilization (Optical)
comes with face detection focus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lighter than average in class (269g)
slow max aperture (f3.0)
display is not selfie friendly
lack of external mic jack
31
really wide (25mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
screen is not selfie friendly
does not have external microphone port
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Olympus SH-50 vs Sony HX5 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus SH-50 and Sony HX5
 Olympus SH-50Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus SH-50 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5
Category Small Sensor Superzoom Small Sensor Compact
Revealed 2013-01-08 2010-06-16
Body design Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic VI Bionz
Sensor type BSI-CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.4"
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.104 x 4.578mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 27.9mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 10 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4608 x 3456 3456 x 2592
Highest native ISO 6400 3200
Minimum native ISO 125 125
RAW support
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
AF continuous
AF single
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Total focus points - 9
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 25-600mm (24.0x) 25-250mm (10.0x)
Maximum aperture f/3.0-6.9 f/3.5-5.5
Macro focusing distance 5cm 5cm
Focal length multiplier 5.8 5.9
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen sizing 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 460k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 15s 30s
Highest shutter speed 1/2000s 1/1600s
Continuous shooting speed 12.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 4.00 m 3.80 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Slow syncro
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 480fps (176 x 128), 240fps (384 x 288) 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1440 x 1080 (60, 30fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264 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
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 269 gr (0.59 lb) 200 gr (0.44 lb)
Dimensions 112 x 63 x 42mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.7") 102 x 58 x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery ID SLB-10A NP-BG1
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, Pet Auto Shutter) Yes (2 or 10 sec, portrait1/portrait2)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo/ PRO HG-Duo, optional SD/SDHC, Internal
Storage slots Single Single
Launch price $300 $275