Olympus E-1 vs Sony WX500

Below is a thorough overview of the Olympus E-1 vs Sony WX500, one being a Pro DSLR and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by rivals Olympus and Sony. There exists a crucial gap between the resolutions of the E-1 (5MP) and WX500 (18MP) and the E-1 (Four Thirds) and WX500 (1/2.3") possess totally different sensor sizing.

Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

The E-1 was announced 12 years prior to the WX500 and that is quite a serious gap as far as technology is concerned. Both cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-1 being a Large SLR camera and the Sony WX500 being a Compact camera.

Before getting in to a full comparison, below is a short highlight of how the E-1 grades vs the WX500 for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus E-1 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX500. The whole galleries are viewable at Olympus E-1 Gallery and Sony WX500 Gallery.

If you're going to lug around your camera, you will need to factor its weight and size. The Olympus E-1 features outer measurements 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 WX500 has specifications of 102mm x 58mm x 36mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.4") and a weight of 236 grams (0.52 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-1 vs Sony WX500 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you have chosen at the time. Below is the front view dimensions comparison of the E-1 vs the WX500.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-1 and WX500 is 59 and 91 respectively.

Typically, it is difficult to envision the contrast between sensor measurements just by looking at a spec sheet. The graphic here may provide you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the E-1 and WX500.

Clearly, both of those cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-1 using its larger sensor will make getting shallow DOF simpler and the Sony WX500 will give you more detail with its extra 13 Megapixels. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop pics somewhat more aggressively. The older E-1 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor technology.