Olympus E-1 vs Sony W230
59 Imaging
37 Features
36 Overall
36


95 Imaging
34 Features
25 Overall
30
Olympus E-1 vs Sony W230 Key Specs
(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
- Released November 2003
- Successor is Olympus E-3
(Full Review)
- 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Screen
- ISO 80 - 3200
- Optical Image Stabilization
- 640 x 480 video
- 30-120mm (F2.8-5.8) lens
- 156g - 95 x 57 x 22mm
- Introduced February 2009

Olympus E-1 vs Sony W230 Overview
The following is a in-depth analysis of the Olympus E-1 versus Sony W230, one is a Pro DSLR and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by rivals Olympus and Sony. There exists a huge gap between the resolutions of the E-1 (5MP) and W230 (12MP) and the E-1 (Four Thirds) and W230 (1/2.3") offer totally different sensor size.

The E-1 was released 6 years before the W230 which is quite a significant gap as far as technology is concerned. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-1 being a Large SLR camera and the Sony W230 being a Compact camera.
Before going into a in-depth comparison, here is a brief highlight of how the E-1 scores against the W230 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Olympus E-1 vs Sony W230 Gallery
This is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus E-1 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W230. The complete galleries are available at Olympus E-1 Gallery and Sony W230 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-1 over the Sony W230
E-1 | W230 |
---|
Reasons to pick Sony W230 over the Olympus E-1
W230 | E-1 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Introduced | February 2009 | ![]() | November 2003 | Newer by 63 months |
Screen size | 3" | ![]() | 1.8" | Bigger screen (+1.2") |
Screen resolution | 230k | ![]() | 134k | Sharper screen (+96k dot) |
Common features in the Olympus E-1 and Sony W230
E-1 | W230 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Manual focus | ![]() | Very precise focusing | ||
Screen type | Fixed | ![]() | Fixed | Fixed screen |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Missing selfie screen | ||
Touch friendly screen | ![]() | Missing Touch friendly screen |
Olympus E-1 vs Sony W230 Physical Comparison
When you are planning to travel with your camera regularly, you will want to take into account its weight and volume. The Olympus E-1 has got external measurements of 141mm x 104mm x 81mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.2") with a weight of 735 grams (1.62 lbs) and the Sony W230 has sizing of 95mm x 57mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") with a weight of 156 grams (0.34 lbs).
Examine the Olympus E-1 versus Sony W230 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you are utilizing at that moment. Below is a front view over all size comparison of the E-1 versus the W230.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-1 and W230 is 59 and 95 respectively.

Olympus E-1 vs Sony W230 Sensor Comparison
Sometimes, it's tough to visualise the gap between sensor dimensions only by checking specs. The picture underneath will offer you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-1 and W230.
All in all, each of these cameras feature different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The E-1 because of its bigger sensor will make getting bokeh easier and the Sony W230 will resolve more detail as a result of its extra 7 Megapixels. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop photographs way more aggressively. The more aged E-1 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor technology.

Olympus E-1 vs Sony W230 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-1 vs Sony W230 Specifications
Olympus E-1 | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W230 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Make | Olympus | Sony |
Model type | Olympus E-1 | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W230 |
Type | Pro DSLR | Small Sensor Compact |
Released | 2003-11-29 | 2009-02-17 |
Body design | Large SLR | Compact |
Sensor Information | ||
Sensor type | CCD | CCD |
Sensor size | Four Thirds | 1/2.3" |
Sensor dimensions | 17.3 x 13mm | 6.17 x 4.55mm |
Sensor surface area | 224.9mm² | 28.1mm² |
Sensor resolution | 5 megapixels | 12 megapixels |
Anti alias filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 4:3 | 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 |
Peak resolution | 2560 x 1920 | 4000 x 3000 |
Highest native ISO | 3200 | 3200 |
Minimum native ISO | 100 | 80 |
RAW pictures | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
Autofocus touch | ||
Continuous autofocus | ||
Autofocus single | ||
Tracking autofocus | ||
Autofocus selectice | ||
Center weighted autofocus | ||
Autofocus multi area | ||
Live view autofocus | ||
Face detection focus | ||
Contract detection focus | ||
Phase detection focus | ||
Total focus points | 3 | 9 |
Lens | ||
Lens mount type | Micro Four Thirds | fixed lens |
Lens zoom range | - | 30-120mm (4.0x) |
Largest aperture | - | f/2.8-5.8 |
Macro focusing range | - | 4cm |
Total lenses | 45 | - |
Focal length multiplier | 2.1 | 5.8 |
Screen | ||
Screen type | Fixed Type | Fixed Type |
Screen size | 1.8 inch | 3 inch |
Resolution of screen | 134k dot | 230k dot |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch screen | ||
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder | Optical (pentaprism) | None |
Viewfinder coverage | 100 percent | - |
Viewfinder magnification | 0.48x | - |
Features | ||
Minimum shutter speed | 60 seconds | 1 seconds |
Fastest shutter speed | 1/4000 seconds | 1/1600 seconds |
Continuous shutter speed | 3.0fps | 2.0fps |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manual exposure | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | - |
Change white balance | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Inbuilt flash | ||
Flash distance | no built-in flash | 3.90 m |
Flash modes | Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync |
Hot shoe | ||
Auto exposure bracketing | ||
WB bracketing | ||
Fastest flash sync | 1/180 seconds | - |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment exposure | ||
Average exposure | ||
Spot exposure | ||
Partial exposure | ||
AF area exposure | ||
Center weighted exposure | ||
Video features | ||
Video resolutions | - | 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) |
Highest video resolution | None | 640x480 |
Video format | - | Motion JPEG |
Mic input | ||
Headphone input | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | None | None |
Bluetooth | ||
NFC | ||
HDMI | ||
USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
GPS | None | None |
Physical | ||
Environmental seal | ||
Water proofing | ||
Dust proofing | ||
Shock proofing | ||
Crush proofing | ||
Freeze proofing | ||
Weight | 735 grams (1.62 lb) | 156 grams (0.34 lb) |
Physical dimensions | 141 x 104 x 81mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.2") | 95 x 57 x 22mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO Overall rating | not tested | not tested |
DXO Color Depth rating | not tested | not tested |
DXO Dynamic range rating | not tested | not tested |
DXO Low light rating | not tested | not tested |
Other | ||
Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes (2 or 10 sec) |
Time lapse recording | ||
Type of storage | Compact Flash (Type I or II) | Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo, Internal |
Storage slots | 1 | 1 |
Price at release | $1,700 | $180 |