Olympus SZ-11 vs Sony HX5

Let's look a bit more closely at the Olympus SZ-11 versus Sony HX5, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by competitors Olympus and Sony. There is a large difference between the sensor resolutions of the SZ-11 (14MP) and HX5 (10MP) and the SZ-11 (1/2.3") and HX5 (1/2.4") posses totally different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The SZ-11 was announced 14 months later than the HX5 which makes them a generation apart from each other. Each of the cameras have the same body design (Compact).

Before going into a detailed comparison, here is a concise summary of how the SZ-11 grades vs the HX5 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus SZ-11 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5. The whole galleries are available at Olympus SZ-11 Gallery & Sony HX5 Gallery.

If you're looking to lug around your camera, you'll have to think about its weight and measurements. The Olympus SZ-11 enjoys outer dimensions of 106mm x 69mm x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") accompanied by a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs) while the Sony HX5 has proportions of 102mm x 58mm x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1") with a weight of 200 grams (0.44 lbs).

Check out the Olympus SZ-11 versus Sony HX5 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you have at that time. Following is a front view dimension comparison of the SZ-11 compared to the HX5.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability rating of the SZ-11 and HX5 is 89 and 92 respectively.

Often, it can be tough to visualise the gap between sensor measurements purely by reading specifications. The graphic underneath might offer you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the SZ-11 and HX5.

To sum up, both of those cameras have different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The SZ-11 having a bigger sensor will make shooting shallower depth of field simpler and the Olympus SZ-11 will deliver extra detail with its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will enable you to crop shots a bit more aggressively. The more recent SZ-11 will have a benefit with regard to sensor technology.