Olympus E-1 vs Sony RX100 II

Here, we are looking at the Olympus E-1 versus Sony RX100 II, former being a Pro DSLR while the other is a Large Sensor Compact by rivals Olympus and Sony. There exists a sizable gap among the image resolutions of the E-1 (5MP) and RX100 II (20MP) and the E-1 (Four Thirds) and RX100 II (1") have different sensor measurements.

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The E-1 was announced 10 years prior to the RX100 II and that is a fairly significant difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-1 being a Large SLR camera and the Sony RX100 II being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before diving straight to a thorough comparison, here is a quick view of how the E-1 grades vs the RX100 II in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus E-1 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 II. The whole galleries are viewable at Olympus E-1 Gallery & Sony RX100 II Gallery.

In case you're intending to carry your camera frequently, you should factor in its weight and size. The Olympus E-1 has physical measurements of 141mm x 104mm x 81mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.2") along with a weight of 735 grams (1.62 lbs) whilst the Sony RX100 II has specifications of 102mm x 58mm x 38mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.5") and a weight of 281 grams (0.62 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-1 versus Sony RX100 II in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you select during that time. Below is a front view proportions comparison of the E-1 and the RX100 II.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-1 and RX100 II is 59 and 89 respectively.

Quite often, its tough to visualize the difference in sensor sizing only by viewing technical specs. The visual here might offer you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the E-1 and RX100 II.

As you have seen, both of those cameras feature different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-1 having a larger sensor is going to make achieving shallower DOF easier and the Sony RX100 II will result in more detail with its extra 15 Megapixels. Greater resolution will help you crop pics way more aggressively. The older E-1 will be behind with regard to sensor tech.