Olympus E-300 vs Sony RX1

On this page, we are evaluating the Olympus E-300 and Sony RX1, former being a Advanced DSLR while the other is a Large Sensor Compact by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. There is a substantial difference among the image resolutions of the E-300 (8MP) and RX1 (24MP) and the E-300 (Four Thirds) and RX1 (Full frame) provide totally different sensor measurements.

Photography Glossary

The E-300 was released 9 years prior to the RX1 and that is a fairly big difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-300 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony RX1 being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before going into a in-depth comparison, here is a concise highlight of how the E-300 grades vs the RX1 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus E-300 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX1. The complete galleries are viewable at Olympus E-300 Gallery & Sony RX1 Gallery.

In case you're aiming to lug around your camera frequently, you will want to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-300 provides exterior dimensions of 147mm x 85mm x 64mm (5.8" x 3.3" x 2.5") having a weight of 624 grams (1.38 lbs) and the Sony RX1 has dimensions of 113mm x 65mm x 70mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 2.8") and a weight of 482 grams (1.06 lbs).

See the Olympus E-300 and Sony RX1 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you have at that time. Following is a front view physical size comparison of the E-300 versus the RX1.

Considering size and weight, the portability rating of the E-300 and RX1 is 67 and 79 respectively.

In many cases, it's difficult to envision the gap in sensor measurements only by researching technical specs. The graphic below may offer you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the E-300 and RX1.

As you have seen, both of the cameras have different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-300 featuring a smaller sensor will make getting shallower DOF harder and the Sony RX1 will result in greater detail as a result of its extra 16 Megapixels. Greater resolution will allow you to crop photos a bit more aggressively. The older E-300 will be behind with regard to sensor technology.