Olympus E-1 vs Sony RX100

Lets take a deeper look at the Olympus E-1 versus Sony RX100, one being a Pro DSLR and the latter is a Large Sensor Compact by rivals Olympus and Sony. There exists a sizeable gap between the resolutions of the E-1 (5MP) and RX100 (20MP) and the E-1 (Four Thirds) and RX100 (1") enjoy totally different sensor measurements.

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The E-1 was revealed 9 years before the RX100 and that is quite a large gap as far as technology is concerned. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-1 being a Large SLR camera and the Sony RX100 being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before we go straight into a detailed comparison, below is a quick overview of how the E-1 grades versus the RX100 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus E-1 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100. The full galleries are provided at Olympus E-1 Gallery and Sony RX100 Gallery.

For those who are looking to lug around your camera regularly, you will have to factor its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-1 provides external 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 RX100 has dimensions of 102mm x 58mm x 36mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.4") having a weight of 240 grams (0.53 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-1 versus Sony RX100 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you have attached at that moment. Below is the front view scale comparison of the E-1 versus the RX100.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-1 and RX100 is 59 and 91 respectively.

Sometimes, it is very difficult to visualise the gap between sensor measurements only by checking specs. The photograph here will offer you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-1 and RX100.

All in all, each of the cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-1 having a bigger sensor will make achieving shallow depth of field less difficult and the Sony RX100 will give you extra detail because of its extra 15 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop shots much more aggressively. The older E-1 is going to be behind in sensor technology.