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Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Sony HX5

Portability
89
Imaging
40
Features
36
Overall
38
Olympus SZ-16 iHS front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5 front
Portability
92
Imaging
33
Features
30
Overall
31

Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Sony HX5 Key Specs

Olympus SZ-16 iHS
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-600mm (F3.0-6.9) lens
  • 226g - 108 x 70 x 40mm
  • Revealed January 2013
Sony HX5
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.4" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • 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 SZ-16 iHS vs Sony HX5 Overview

Below, we are matching up the Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Sony HX5, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Small Sensor Compact by rivals Olympus and Sony. There is a considerable difference between the resolutions of the SZ-16 iHS (16MP) and HX5 (10MP) and the SZ-16 iHS (1/2.3") and HX5 (1/2.4") feature totally different sensor sizes.

Photography Glossary

The SZ-16 iHS was launched 2 years after the HX5 which is quite a large difference as far as tech is concerned. Both cameras come with the identical body type (Compact).

Before going through a in-depth comparison, below is a short view of how the SZ-16 iHS matches up vs the HX5 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-16 iHS over the Sony HX5

 SZ-16 iHS HX5 
ReleasedJanuary 2013June 2010More modern by 32 months
Display resolution460k230kCrisper display (+230k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony HX5 over the Olympus SZ-16 iHS

 HX5 SZ-16 iHS 

Common features in the Olympus SZ-16 iHS and Sony HX5

 SZ-16 iHS HX5 
Manually focus No manual focus
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display dimension3"3"Identical display dimensions
Selfie screen Neither offers selfie screen
Touch friendly display Neither offers Touch friendly display

Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Sony HX5 Physical Comparison

If you're planning to carry around your camera regularly, you should factor its weight and volume. The Olympus SZ-16 iHS offers exterior measurements of 108mm x 70mm x 40mm (4.3" x 2.8" x 1.6") having a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs) whilst the Sony HX5 has sizing 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 SZ-16 iHS vs Sony HX5 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you are utilizing at that time. Following is the front view sizing comparison of the SZ-16 iHS and the HX5.

Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Sony HX5 size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability rating of the SZ-16 iHS and HX5 is 89 and 92 respectively.

Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Sony HX5 top view buttons comparison

Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Sony HX5 Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, it's difficult to see the gap between sensor sizes purely by reading a spec sheet. The picture underneath will provide you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the SZ-16 iHS and HX5.

Clearly, each of the cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The SZ-16 iHS because of its larger sensor will make achieving shallower depth of field simpler and the Olympus SZ-16 iHS will offer you greater detail utilizing its extra 6MP. Greater resolution will allow you to crop photos much more aggressively. The younger SZ-16 iHS will have an edge when it comes to sensor technology.

Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Sony HX5 sensor size comparison

Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Sony HX5 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Sony HX5 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus SZ-16 iHS Portrait photography advice
Sony HX5 Portrait photography advice
35
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
supports face detection focusing
manual focus not available
lack of manual mode
external flash not possible
very small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
19
focusing manually not possible
external flash not possible
resolution not great (10MP)
very small sensor size (1/2.4")
lack of RAW format
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus SZ-16 iHS
Street photography with Sony HX5
61
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than others in class (226 grams)
fixed screen
very small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
55
image stabilization (Optical)
no moving screen
very small sensor size (1/2.4")
lack of RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus SZ-16 iHS Sports photography details
Sony HX5 Sports photography details
42
amazing zoom range (25-600mm 24.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
supports tracking autofocus
max fps very slow (2.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority mode
very small sensor (1/2.3")
bad battery (220 shots)
has no phase detect AF
26
image stabilization (Optical)
no shutter priority
resolution not great (10MP)
very small sensor size (1/2.4")
lack of phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus SZ-16 iHS Travel photography info
Sony HX5 Travel photography info
65
lighter than others in class (226g)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
really wide (25mm)
long zoom (600mm)
no Time Lapse recording
bad battery (220 CIPA)
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.0)
60
has built in flash
fairly wide (25mm)
long zoom (250mm)
no Timelapse mode
resolution not great (10MP)
display isn't selfie friendly
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus SZ-16 iHS Landscape photography details
Sony HX5 Landscape photography details
41
really wide (25mm)
nice screen size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
manual focus not available
cannot change lenses (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.0)
lack of manual mode
very small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
bad battery (220 shots)
no Time Lapse recording
37
fairly wide (25mm)
screen size is good (3 inches)
image stabilization (Optical)
focusing manually not possible
cannot change lens (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
resolution not great (10MP)
very small sensor size (1/2.4")
lack of RAW format
no Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus SZ-16 iHS Vlogging details
Sony HX5 Vlogging details
31
really wide (25mm)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
supports face detection focusing
lighter than others in class (226 grams)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.0)
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
video quality not great (1280 x 720 resolution)
no external mic support
31
fairly wide (25mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
high quality video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
display isn't selfie friendly
no microphone jack
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Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Sony HX5 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus SZ-16 iHS and Sony HX5
 Olympus SZ-16 iHSSony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5
General Information
Brand Olympus Sony
Model Olympus SZ-16 iHS Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5
Class Small Sensor Superzoom Small Sensor Compact
Revealed 2013-01-08 2010-06-16
Body design Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip - Bionz
Sensor type 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 16MP 10MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio - 4:3 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4608 x 3456 3456 x 2592
Highest native ISO 6400 3200
Min native ISO 80 125
RAW data
Autofocusing
Manual focus
AF touch
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Number of focus points - 9
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 25-600mm (24.0x) 25-250mm (10.0x)
Largest aperture f/3.0-6.9 f/3.5-5.5
Macro focus distance - 5cm
Focal length multiplier 5.8 5.9
Screen
Range of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display sizing 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 460 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Display tech TFT Color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Slowest shutter speed 4s 30s
Maximum shutter speed 1/2000s 1/1600s
Continuous shooting speed 2.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range - 3.80 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in Auto, On, Off, Slow syncro
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 180 (30fps) 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1440 x 1080 (60, 30fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video file format MPEG-4, H.264 AVCHD
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 226 grams (0.50 pounds) 200 grams (0.44 pounds)
Dimensions 108 x 70 x 40mm (4.3" x 2.8" x 1.6") 102 x 58 x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 220 photos -
Battery format Battery Pack -
Battery model LI-50B 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 One One
Pricing at launch $230 $275