Olympus SZ-15 vs Sony HX5

On this page, we will be contrasting the Olympus SZ-15 versus Sony HX5, one being a Small Sensor Superzoom and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. There is a crucial difference between the image resolutions of the SZ-15 (16MP) and HX5 (10MP) and the SZ-15 (1/2.3") and HX5 (1/2.4") offer different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The SZ-15 was brought out 3 years later than the HX5 and that is quite a serious gap as far as tech is concerned. The two cameras have the same body design (Compact).

Before diving straight to a complete comparison, here is a simple summary of how the SZ-15 grades against the HX5 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus SZ-15 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5. The entire galleries are provided at Olympus SZ-15 Gallery and Sony HX5 Gallery.

For those who are going to lug around your camera regularly, you need to factor its weight and size. The Olympus SZ-15 provides outer measurements of 108mm x 70mm x 40mm (4.3" x 2.8" x 1.6") along with a weight of 250 grams (0.55 lbs) whilst the Sony HX5 has specifications of 102mm x 58mm x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1") having a weight of 200 grams (0.44 lbs).

Look at the Olympus SZ-15 versus Sony HX5 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you are working with at the time. Here is a front view physical size comparison of the SZ-15 versus the HX5.

Looking at size and weight, the portability score of the SZ-15 and HX5 is 88 and 92 respectively.

Usually, it can be tough to imagine the contrast between sensor measurements purely by reviewing a spec sheet. The photograph underneath should offer you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the SZ-15 and HX5.

Clearly, both of the cameras have different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The SZ-15 featuring a bigger sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF simpler and the Olympus SZ-15 will deliver extra detail having its extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop photographs a bit more aggressively. The more recent SZ-15 should have an edge when it comes to sensor tech.