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Olympus E-1 vs Sony TX20

Portability
59
Imaging
38
Features
36
Overall
37
Olympus E-1 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX20 front
Portability
96
Imaging
39
Features
50
Overall
43

Olympus E-1 vs Sony TX20 Key Specs

Olympus E-1
(Full Review)
  • 5MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 1.8" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 735g - 141 x 104 x 81mm
  • Announced November 2003
  • Newer Model is Olympus E-3
Sony TX20
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 125 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-100mm (F3.5-4.6) lens
  • 133g - 96 x 56 x 18mm
  • Introduced February 2012
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Olympus E-1 vs Sony TX20 Overview

Below, we will be reviewing the Olympus E-1 versus Sony TX20, former being a Pro DSLR while the latter is a Ultracompact by competitors Olympus and Sony. There is a considerable difference among the image resolutions of the E-1 (5MP) and TX20 (16MP) and the E-1 (Four Thirds) and TX20 (1/2.3") enjoy different sensor dimensions.

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The E-1 was released 9 years prior to the TX20 and that is a fairly large difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-1 being a Large SLR camera and the Sony TX20 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before diving through a more detailed comparison, below is a simple introduction of how the E-1 grades against the TX20 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus E-1 over the Sony TX20

 E-1 TX20 

Reasons to pick Sony TX20 over the Olympus E-1

 TX20 E-1 
IntroducedFebruary 2012November 2003Fresher by 100 months
Screen dimension3"1.8"Bigger screen (+1.2")
Screen resolution922k134kSharper screen (+788k dot)
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-1 and Sony TX20

 E-1 TX20 
Manual focus More accurate focusing
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Neither features selfie screen

Olympus E-1 vs Sony TX20 Physical Comparison

If you are intending to carry your camera regularly, you have to consider its weight and volume. The Olympus E-1 enjoys physical measurements 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 TX20 has sizing of 96mm x 56mm x 18mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") having a weight of 133 grams (0.29 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-1 versus Sony TX20 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you choose at the time. Following is the front view size comparison of the E-1 against the TX20.

Olympus E-1 vs Sony TX20 size comparison

Using size and weight, the portability grade of the E-1 and TX20 is 59 and 96 respectively.

Olympus E-1 vs Sony TX20 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-1 vs Sony TX20 Sensor Comparison

Generally, it's difficult to visualize the gap in sensor sizing purely by seeing technical specs. The graphic below might offer you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the E-1 and TX20.

As you can tell, both cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-1 featuring a bigger sensor is going to make shooting shallow DOF simpler and the Sony TX20 will show extra detail as a result of its extra 11MP. Higher resolution can also let you crop pictures much more aggressively. The older E-1 will be behind in sensor innovation.

Olympus E-1 vs Sony TX20 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-1 vs Sony TX20 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-1 vs Sony TX20 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-1 Portrait photography features
Sony TX20 Portrait photography features
46
focusing manually
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
no liveview
sensor resolution not great (5MP)
40
has manual focus
resolution is good (16MP)
includes face detection focus
no manual control
external flash not possible
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-1 as a Street photography camera
Sony TX20 as a Street photography camera
57
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
weather proofing
lighter than competitors (735g)
no articulating screen
no image stabilization
67
has image stabilization (Optical)
has focus by touch
environment proof
screen does not articulate
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-1 Sports photography highlights
Sony TX20 Sports photography highlights
40
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
weather proofing
has phase detect auto focus
no liveview
painfully slow continuous shooting (3.0 fps)
no image stabilization
sensor resolution not great (5 megapixels)
50
has image stabilization (Optical)
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
includes tracking autofocus
environment proof
better than average battery life (250 shots)
no shutter priority
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-1 Travel photography advice
Sony TX20 Travel photography advice
47
lighter than competitors (735 grams)
weather proofing
no Time Lapse recording
sensor resolution not great (5MP)
screen isn't selfie friendly
72
better than average battery life (250 shots)
environment proof
has focus by touch
resolution is good (16MP)
built-in flash
fairly wide (25mm)
does not have Time Lapse function
does not have selfie friendly display
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-1
Landscape photography with Sony TX20
46
focusing manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
weather proofing
screen is somewhat small (1.8 inches)
no liveview
no image stabilization
sensor resolution not great (5 megapixels)
no Time Lapse recording
52
has manual focus
fairly wide (25mm)
screen size is good (3")
has image stabilization (Optical)
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
environment proof
better than average battery life (250 CIPA)
cannot swap lens (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
no manual control
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
does not have Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-1 as a Vlogging camera
Sony TX20 as a Vlogging camera
9
can't shoot video
35
fairly wide (25mm)
touchscreen capability
has image stabilization (Optical)
includes face detection focus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
does not have selfie friendly display
does not have external mic port
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Olympus E-1 vs Sony TX20 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-1 and Sony TX20
 Olympus E-1Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX20
General Information
Make Olympus Sony
Model Olympus E-1 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX20
Category Pro DSLR Ultracompact
Announced 2003-11-29 2012-02-28
Body design Large SLR Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Chip - BIONZ
Sensor type CCD BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 5 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3 and 16:9
Peak resolution 2560 x 1920 4608 x 3456
Highest native ISO 3200 3200
Lowest native ISO 100 125
RAW data
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Number of focus points 3 -
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 25-100mm (4.0x)
Maximal aperture - f/3.5-4.6
Macro focus distance - 1cm
Amount of lenses 45 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.8
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display sizing 1.8 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 134k dot 922k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Display technology - XtraFine TruBlack TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) None
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.48x -
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 secs 4 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/1600 secs
Continuous shutter speed 3.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range no built-in flash 3.70 m
Flash settings Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/180 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1440 x 1080 (60, 30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 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
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 735g (1.62 lb) 133g (0.29 lb)
Dimensions 141 x 104 x 81mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.2") 96 x 56 x 18mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7")
DXO scores
DXO Overall 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 life - 250 pictures
Style of battery - Battery Pack
Battery model - NP-BN
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II) SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Duo/Memory Stick Pro Duo, Memory Stick Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots 1 1
Retail pricing $1,700 $330