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Olympus VH-515 vs Sony HX300

Portability
95
Imaging
36
Features
34
Overall
35
Olympus VH-515 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX300 front
Portability
63
Imaging
45
Features
51
Overall
47

Olympus VH-515 vs Sony HX300 Key Specs

Olympus VH-515
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 1600
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 26-130mm (F2.8-6.5) lens
  • 152g - 102 x 60 x 21mm
  • Announced August 2012
Sony HX300
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 80 - 12800
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-1200mm (F2.8-6.3) lens
  • 623g - 130 x 103 x 93mm
  • Launched February 2013
  • Replaced the Sony HX200V
  • Replacement is Sony HX400V
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Olympus VH-515 vs Sony HX300 Overview

Here is a extended assessment of the Olympus VH-515 vs Sony HX300, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. There is a large difference between the sensor resolutions of the VH-515 (12MP) and HX300 (20MP) but they enjoy the same exact sensor sizing (1/2.3").

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The VH-515 was introduced 6 months before the HX300 and they are both of a similar age. Both the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus VH-515 being a Compact camera and the Sony HX300 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before going through a more detailed comparison, below is a quick view of how the VH-515 scores against the HX300 for portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus VH-515 over the Sony HX300

 VH-515 HX300 
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Sony HX300 over the Olympus VH-515

 HX300 VH-515 
Manual focus More precise focus
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution921k460kCrisper screen (+461k dot)

Common features in the Olympus VH-515 and Sony HX300

 VH-515 HX300 
LaunchedAugust 2012February 2013Similar age
Screen sizing3"3"Equivalent screen measurement
Selfie screen Lack of selfie screen

Olympus VH-515 vs Sony HX300 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is looking to carry your camera regularly, you'll need to consider its weight and dimensions. The Olympus VH-515 provides physical measurements of 102mm x 60mm x 21mm (4.0" x 2.4" x 0.8") having a weight of 152 grams (0.34 lbs) and the Sony HX300 has dimensions of 130mm x 103mm x 93mm (5.1" x 4.1" x 3.7") having a weight of 623 grams (1.37 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus VH-515 vs Sony HX300 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you choose at the time. Following is the front view measurements comparison of the VH-515 compared to the HX300.

Olympus VH-515 vs Sony HX300 size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability grade of the VH-515 and HX300 is 95 and 63 respectively.

Olympus VH-515 vs Sony HX300 top view buttons comparison

Olympus VH-515 vs Sony HX300 Sensor Comparison

Usually, it is very tough to envision the gap between sensor sizing just by looking at a spec sheet. The photograph here will help give you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the VH-515 and HX300.

As you can see, both of the cameras enjoy the same exact sensor sizing albeit not the same megapixels. You can expect the Sony HX300 to resolve extra detail using its extra 8 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop shots far more aggressively.

Olympus VH-515 vs Sony HX300 sensor size comparison

Olympus VH-515 vs Sony HX300 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus VH-515 vs Sony HX300 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus VH-515 Portrait photography factors
Sony HX300 Portrait photography factors
27
includes face detection focusing
manual focus not available
no manual control
cannot use external flash
megapixel count low (12MP)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
43
manual focus
decent MP (20 megapixels)
external flash not possible
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
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Street Comparison

Olympus VH-515 Street photography information
Sony HX300 Street photography information
62
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
comes with focus by touch
no articulating screen
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
50
screen tilts
image stabilization (Optical)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
more heavy than competition in class (623 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus VH-515 Sports photography details
Sony HX300 Sports photography details
32
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
includes tracking autofocus
painfully slow continuous shooting (2.0 fps)
no shutter priority mode
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
has no phase detect AF
55
great zoom range (24-1200mm 50.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (20MP)
features tracking focus
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
has no phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus VH-515 Travel photography information
Sony HX300 Travel photography information
62
comes with focus by touch
built-in flash
reasonably wide (26mm)
missing Timelapse recording
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
screen is not selfie friendly
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
54
decent MP (20 megapixels)
built-in flash
reasonably wide (24mm)
long zoom (1200mm)
missing Timelapse function
more heavy than competition in class (623g)
screen isn't selfie friendly
slow max aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus VH-515 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony HX300 as a Landscape photography camera
37
reasonably wide (26mm)
decent sized screen (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
manual focus not available
can't change lenses (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
no manual control
megapixel count low (12MP)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
missing Timelapse recording
49
manual focus
reasonably wide (24mm)
screen size is good (3 inches)
image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (20 megapixels)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f2.8)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
missing Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus VH-515 Vlogging info
Sony HX300 Vlogging info
35
reasonably wide (26mm)
touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
includes face detection focusing
high res video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
screen is not selfie friendly
missing external microphone jack
25
reasonably wide (24mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
slow max aperture (f2.8)
screen isn't selfie friendly
missing microphone port
more heavy than competition in class (623 grams)
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Olympus VH-515 vs Sony HX300 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus VH-515 and Sony HX300
 Olympus VH-515Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX300
General Information
Brand Olympus Sony
Model Olympus VH-515 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX300
Class Small Sensor Compact Small Sensor Superzoom
Announced 2012-08-21 2013-02-20
Body design Compact SLR-like (bridge)
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic III+ -
Sensor type BSI-CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.16 x 4.62mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 28.5mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 20 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 -
Full resolution 4608 x 3456 5184 x 3888
Max native ISO 1600 12800
Lowest native ISO 100 80
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Manual focus
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Number of focus points - 9
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 26-130mm (5.0x) 24-1200mm (50.0x)
Max aperture f/2.8-6.5 f/2.8-6.3
Macro focus distance 5cm -
Crop factor 5.8 5.8
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Tilting
Screen sizing 3" 3"
Resolution of screen 460k dot 921k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Screen tech TFT Color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Electronic
Features
Slowest shutter speed 4 secs 30 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 2.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 4.70 m -
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in -
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30,15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 180 (30,15 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60, 50 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video format MPEG-4, H.264 -
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 152 gr (0.34 lbs) 623 gr (1.37 lbs)
Dimensions 102 x 60 x 21mm (4.0" x 2.4" x 0.8") 130 x 103 x 93mm (5.1" x 4.1" x 3.7")
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 model LI-50B -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) -
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC -
Storage slots One One
Cost at launch $648 $339