Clicky

Olympus E-1 vs Sony RX1

Portability
59
Imaging
38
Features
36
Overall
37
Olympus E-1 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX1 front
Portability
79
Imaging
69
Features
57
Overall
64

Olympus E-1 vs Sony RX1 Key Specs

Olympus E-1
(Full Review)
  • 5MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 1.8" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 735g - 141 x 104 x 81mm
  • Launched November 2003
  • Successor is Olympus E-3
Sony RX1
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 35mm (F2.0-22.0) lens
  • 482g - 113 x 65 x 70mm
  • Launched February 2013
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Olympus E-1 vs Sony RX1 Overview

Following is a comprehensive review of the Olympus E-1 and Sony RX1, one is a Pro DSLR and the other is a Large Sensor Compact by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. There exists a huge gap among the resolutions of the E-1 (5MP) and RX1 (24MP) and the E-1 (Four Thirds) and RX1 (Full frame) feature different sensor size.

Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

The E-1 was unveiled 10 years earlier than the RX1 which is a fairly significant gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-1 being a Large SLR camera and the Sony RX1 being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before we go straight into a in depth comparison, below is a concise view of how the E-1 scores versus the RX1 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus E-1 over the Sony RX1

 E-1 RX1 

Reasons to pick Sony RX1 over the Olympus E-1

 RX1 E-1 
LaunchedFebruary 2013November 2003More modern by 112 months
Display sizing3"1.8"Larger display (+1.2")
Display resolution1229k134kSharper display (+1095k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-1 and Sony RX1

 E-1 RX1 
Manually focus Dial precise focus
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Neither contains selfie screen
Touch display Neither contains Touch display

Olympus E-1 vs Sony RX1 Physical Comparison

In case you're looking to carry around your camera regularly, you will want to think about its weight and volume. The Olympus E-1 has got outer dimensions of 141mm x 104mm x 81mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.2") having a weight of 735 grams (1.62 lbs) whilst the Sony RX1 has sizing of 113mm x 65mm x 70mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 2.8") having a weight of 482 grams (1.06 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-1 and Sony RX1 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you have attached at that moment. Following is the front view size comparison of the E-1 and the RX1.

Olympus E-1 vs Sony RX1 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-1 and RX1 is 59 and 79 respectively.

Olympus E-1 vs Sony RX1 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-1 vs Sony RX1 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it's difficult to visualize the contrast in sensor sizes merely by looking through technical specs. The pic here will provide you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-1 and RX1.

As you have seen, the two cameras enjoy different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The E-1 with its smaller sensor is going to make shooting bokeh more challenging and the Sony RX1 will provide you with more detail having an extra 19 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also allow you to crop photos far more aggressively. The more aged E-1 will be behind with regard to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-1 vs Sony RX1 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-1 vs Sony RX1 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-1 vs Sony RX1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-1 Portrait photography information
Sony RX1 Portrait photography information
46
manual focus
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
no liveview
MP count low (5MP)
81
you can focus manually
high flash sync (1/4,000 seconds)
MP count decent (24MP)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
offers face detect autofocus
exports RAW files
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Street Comparison

Olympus E-1 Street photography advice
Sony RX1 Street photography advice
57
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
weather proof
lighter than competition in class (735 grams)
no moving screen
does not have image stabilization
66
sensor size is great (Full frame)
exports RAW files
very good high ISO (25,600)
screen does not articulate
no image stabilization
heavier than competition (482g)
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-1
Sports photography with Sony RX1
40
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
weather proof
sensor has phase detect AF
no liveview
slow continuous shooting (3.0 fps)
does not have image stabilization
MP count low (5MP)
53
MP count decent (24 megapixels)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
offers tracking focus
can't change focal length (35mm)
max frames per second low (5.0 fps)
no image stabilization
low battery power (270 CIPA)
does not have phase detect autofocus
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Travel Comparison

Olympus E-1 Travel photography information
Sony RX1 Travel photography information
47
lighter than competition in class (735 grams)
weather proof
does not have Timelapse recording
MP count low (5MP)
display is not selfie friendly
62
MP count decent (24MP)
built-in flash
very good max aperture (f2.0)
does not have Time Lapse function
low battery power (270 CIPA)
heavier than competition (482 grams)
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-1 Landscape photography features
Sony RX1 Landscape photography features
46
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
weather proof
screen is somewhat small (1.8 inch)
no liveview
does not have image stabilization
MP count low (5MP)
does not have Timelapse recording
64
you can focus manually
very good max aperture (f2.0)
screen size is good (3 inch)
MP count decent (24 megapixels)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
very good high ISO (25,600)
exports RAW files
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
can't change focal length (35mm)
no image stabilization
low battery power (270 per charge)
does not have Time Lapse function
Photography Glossary

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-1 Vlogging info
Sony RX1 Vlogging info
9
no video shooting
34
very good max aperture (f2.0)
offers face detect autofocus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
comes with mic port
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
no image stabilization
heavier than competition (482 grams)
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

Olympus E-1 vs Sony RX1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-1 and Sony RX1
 Olympus E-1Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX1
General Information
Make Olympus Sony
Model Olympus E-1 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX1
Class Pro DSLR Large Sensor Compact
Launched 2003-11-29 2013-02-19
Body design Large SLR Large Sensor Compact
Sensor Information
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Full frame
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 35.8 x 23.8mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 852.0mm²
Sensor resolution 5 megapixel 24 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 2560 x 1920 6000 x 4000
Highest native ISO 3200 25600
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch focus
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Number of focus points 3 25
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 35mm (1x)
Highest aperture - f/2.0-22.0
Available lenses 45 -
Crop factor 2.1 1
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen sizing 1.8" 3"
Resolution of screen 134 thousand dot 1,229 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Screen technology - Xtra FineTFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) Electronic and Optical (optional)
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.48x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60s 30s
Highest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/4000s
Continuous shooting speed 3.0 frames/s 5.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range no built-in flash 6.00 m
Flash options Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/180s 1/4000s
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60, 50, 25, 24 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30, 25 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 25 fps)
Highest video resolution None 1920x1080
Video data format - MPEG-4, AVCHD
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
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 735 gr (1.62 pounds) 482 gr (1.06 pounds)
Dimensions 141 x 104 x 81mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.2") 113 x 65 x 70mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 2.8")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested 93
DXO Color Depth score not tested 25.1
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 14.3
DXO Low light score not tested 2534
Other
Battery life - 270 images
Type of battery - Battery Pack
Battery model - NP-BX1
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II) SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots 1 1
Cost at launch $1,700 $2,798