Olympus E-500 vs Sony RX1

Lets take a deeper look at the Olympus E-500 and Sony RX1, former being a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Large Sensor Compact by brands Olympus and Sony. There is a sizable difference between the resolutions of the E-500 (8MP) and RX1 (24MP) and the E-500 (Four Thirds) and RX1 (Full frame) offer different sensor sizes.

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The E-500 was unveiled 8 years earlier than the RX1 and that is quite a significant difference as far as tech is concerned. Each of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-500 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony RX1 being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before diving straight to a full comparison, here is a concise synopsis of how the E-500 matches up versus the RX1 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus E-500 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX1. The full galleries are viewable at Olympus E-500 Gallery & Sony RX1 Gallery.

If you're intending to lug around your camera often, you're going to have to factor in its weight and size. The Olympus E-500 has physical dimensions of 130mm x 95mm x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") along with a weight of 479 grams (1.06 lbs) whilst the Sony RX1 has specifications of 113mm x 65mm x 70mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 2.8") having a weight of 482 grams (1.06 lbs).

See the Olympus E-500 and Sony RX1 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you choose at the time. Here is a front view proportions comparison of the E-500 and the RX1.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability score of the E-500 and RX1 is 70 and 79 respectively.

In many cases, it's tough to imagine the gap between sensor measurements merely by reviewing specs. The photograph below might provide you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the E-500 and RX1.

All in all, each of these cameras come with different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-500 using its tinier sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF tougher and the Sony RX1 will deliver greater detail having an extra 16 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also let you crop photographs a good deal more aggressively. The older E-500 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor technology.