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Olympus E-300 vs Sony RX1

Portability
67
Imaging
41
Features
31
Overall
37
Olympus E-300 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX1 front
Portability
79
Imaging
70
Features
57
Overall
64

Olympus E-300 vs Sony RX1 Key Specs

Olympus E-300
(Full Review)
  • 8MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 1.8" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 400 (Boost to 1600)
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 624g - 147 x 85 x 64mm
  • Released January 2005
  • Additionally Known as EVOLT E-300
  • Newer Model is Olympus E-330
Sony RX1
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 35mm (F2.0-22.0) lens
  • 482g - 113 x 65 x 70mm
  • Launched February 2013
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Olympus E-300 vs Sony RX1 Overview

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.

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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.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-300 over the Sony RX1

 E-300 RX1 

Reasons to pick Sony RX1 over the Olympus E-300

 RX1 E-300 
LaunchedFebruary 2013January 2005More recent by 98 months
Display dimensions3"1.8"Larger display (+1.2")
Display resolution1229k134kClearer display (+1095k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-300 and Sony RX1

 E-300 RX1 
Manually focus Dial accurate focusing
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Neither provides selfie screen
Touch display Neither provides Touch display

Olympus E-300 vs Sony RX1 Physical Comparison

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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Olympus E-300 vs Sony RX1 size comparison

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

Olympus E-300 vs Sony RX1 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-300 vs Sony RX1 Sensor Comparison

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.

Olympus E-300 vs Sony RX1 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-300 vs Sony RX1 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-300 vs Sony RX1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-300 Portrait photography factors
Sony RX1 Portrait photography factors
48
has manual focus
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
doesn't have liveview
low resolution (8MP)
82
focusing manually
flash sync is higher than normal (1/4,000 seconds)
good resolution (24 megapixels)
big sensor size (Full frame)
supports face detect autofocus
supports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-300 Street photography info
Sony RX1 Street photography info
51
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
screen does not articulate
no image stabilization
low max ISO (400)
66
big sensor size (Full frame)
supports RAW formats
above average high ISO (25,600)
no articulating screen
does not have image stabilization
heavier than competition in class (482 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-300 Sports photography information
Sony RX1 Sports photography information
37
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
comes with phase detect autofocus
doesn't have liveview
slow fps (3.0 fps)
no image stabilization
low resolution (8MP)
53
good resolution (24MP)
big sensor size (Full frame)
supports tracking focus
can't change focal length (35mm)
max frames per second low (5.0 fps)
does not have image stabilization
terrible battery pack (270 shots)
has no phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-300 Travel photography advice
Sony RX1 Travel photography advice
45
has built in flash
lack of Timelapse recording
low resolution (8MP)
doesn't have selfie friendly display
62
good resolution (24 megapixels)
built-in flash
fast max aperture (f2.0)
no Time Lapse recording
terrible battery pack (270 shots)
heavier than competition in class (482 grams)
does not posses selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-300 Landscape photography advice
Sony RX1 Landscape photography advice
43
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
tiny screen (1.8 inches)
doesn't have liveview
no image stabilization
low resolution (8MP)
low max ISO (400)
lack of Timelapse recording
65
focusing manually
fast max aperture (f2.0)
good sized screen (3 inches)
good resolution (24 megapixels)
big sensor size (Full frame)
above average high ISO (25,600)
supports RAW formats
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
can't change focal length (35mm)
does not have image stabilization
terrible battery pack (270 shots)
no Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-300 Vlogging factors
Sony RX1 Vlogging factors
9
can't shoot video
34
fast max aperture (f2.0)
supports face detect autofocus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
comes with mic socket
does not posses selfie friendly display
does not have image stabilization
heavier than competition in class (482g)
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Olympus E-300 vs Sony RX1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-300 and Sony RX1
 Olympus E-300Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX1
General Information
Make Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus E-300 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX1
Also referred to as EVOLT E-300 -
Type Advanced DSLR Large Sensor Compact
Released 2005-01-10 2013-02-19
Physical type Mid-size SLR Large Sensor Compact
Sensor Information
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Full frame
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 35.8 x 23.8mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 852.0mm²
Sensor resolution 8 megapixel 24 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 3264 x 2448 6000 x 4000
Max native ISO 400 25600
Max enhanced ISO 1600 -
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW files
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
AF continuous
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Total focus points 3 25
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 35mm (1x)
Highest aperture - f/2.0-22.0
Total lenses 45 -
Crop factor 2.1 1
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display sizing 1.8 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 134k dots 1,229k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Display technology - Xtra FineTFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentamirror) Electronic and Optical (optional)
Features
Min shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Max shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shutter rate 3.0fps 5.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance - 6.00 m
Flash settings Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Max flash synchronize 1/180 secs 1/4000 secs
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60, 50, 25, 24 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30, 25 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 25 fps)
Max video resolution None 1920x1080
Video data format - MPEG-4, AVCHD
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 1.0 (1.5 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 624 grams (1.38 pounds) 482 grams (1.06 pounds)
Physical dimensions 147 x 85 x 64mm (5.8" x 3.3" x 2.5") 113 x 65 x 70mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 2.8")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested 93
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 25.1
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 14.3
DXO Low light rating not tested 2534
Other
Battery life - 270 shots
Battery type - Battery Pack
Battery ID - NP-BX1
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II) SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo
Card slots 1 1
Retail pricing $800 $2,798