Olympus E-420 vs Sony RX1

Here is a comprehensive assessment of the Olympus E-420 and Sony RX1, former being a Entry-Level DSLR while the other is a Large Sensor Compact by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. There is a substantial difference among the sensor resolutions of the E-420 (10MP) and RX1 (24MP) and the E-420 (Four Thirds) and RX1 (Full frame) enjoy different sensor sizing.

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The E-420 was launched 5 years prior to the RX1 and that is a fairly big difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-420 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony RX1 being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before diving through a in depth comparison, below is a quick summation of how the E-420 grades against the RX1 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus E-420 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX1. The complete galleries are available at Olympus E-420 Gallery & Sony RX1 Gallery.

If you're aiming to carry your camera, you have to think about its weight and size. The Olympus E-420 enjoys outer measurements of 130mm x 91mm x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") with a weight of 426 grams (0.94 lbs) while the Sony RX1 has specifications of 113mm x 65mm x 70mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 2.8") along with a weight of 482 grams (1.06 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-420 and Sony RX1 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you have attached at that time. Here is the front view over all size comparison of the E-420 against the RX1.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability score of the E-420 and RX1 is 77 and 79 respectively.

Usually, it's tough to picture the difference in sensor sizing only by researching a spec sheet. The graphic here should offer you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-420 and RX1.

Clearly, both cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-420 because of its smaller sensor is going to make getting bokeh tougher and the Sony RX1 will result in more detail utilizing its extra 14 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also make it easier to crop images much more aggressively. The older E-420 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.