Olympus E-1 vs Sony HX80

Below is a extended overview of the Olympus E-1 and Sony HX80, former being a Pro DSLR while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by companies Olympus and Sony. There is a substantial difference between the sensor resolutions of the E-1 (5MP) and HX80 (18MP) and the E-1 (Four Thirds) and HX80 (1/2.3") provide totally different sensor sizing.

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The E-1 was announced 13 years earlier than the HX80 and that is quite a big difference as far as tech is concerned. Both the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-1 being a Large SLR camera and the Sony HX80 being a Compact camera.

Before delving right into a complete comparison, here is a brief summation of how the E-1 matches up against the HX80 for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus E-1 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX80. The whole galleries are viewable at Olympus E-1 Gallery & Sony HX80 Gallery.

For anyone who is planning to lug around your camera, you will want to factor its weight and size. The Olympus E-1 provides physical dimensions of 141mm x 104mm x 81mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.2") with a weight of 735 grams (1.62 lbs) while the Sony HX80 has specifications of 102mm x 58mm x 36mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.4") along with a weight of 245 grams (0.54 lbs).

See the Olympus E-1 and Sony HX80 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you are using at the time. The following is a front view size comparison of the E-1 and the HX80.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability rating of the E-1 and HX80 is 59 and 91 respectively.

Usually, it is very hard to envision the gap between sensor measurements merely by reviewing a spec sheet. The graphic below might offer you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-1 and HX80.

Clearly, both of those cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-1 with its bigger sensor will make getting shallower depth of field easier and the Sony HX80 will offer you greater detail with its extra 13 Megapixels. Higher resolution will allow you to crop photographs more aggressively. The older E-1 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.