Olympus E-510 vs Sony QX1

On this page, we will be analyzing the Olympus E-510 vs Sony QX1, former being a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Lens-style by companies Olympus and Sony. There exists a noticeable gap among the resolutions of the E-510 (10MP) and QX1 (20MP) and the E-510 (Four Thirds) and QX1 (APS-C) boast different sensor measurements.

Photography Glossary

The E-510 was brought out 7 years prior to the QX1 and that is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-510 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony QX1 being a Lens-style camera.

Before getting straight to a comprehensive comparison, here is a simple introduction of how the E-510 grades versus the QX1 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Here is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus E-510 & Sony Alpha QX1. The entire galleries are viewable at Olympus E-510 Gallery & Sony QX1 Gallery.

When you are aiming to carry your camera, you will need to consider its weight and volume. The Olympus E-510 offers outside measurements of 136mm x 92mm x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") and a weight of 490 grams (1.08 lbs) while the Sony QX1 has sizing of 74mm x 70mm x 53mm (2.9" x 2.8" x 2.1") having a weight of 216 grams (0.48 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-510 vs Sony QX1 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you have attached at that moment. Here is a front view dimension comparison of the E-510 compared to the QX1.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-510 and QX1 is 69 and 90 respectively.

More often than not, it can be tough to picture the difference in sensor sizing just by seeing specs. The graphic below will offer you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-510 and QX1.

As you can plainly see, both of the cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The E-510 due to its smaller sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF more difficult and the Sony QX1 will produce extra detail having its extra 10MP. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop pictures more aggressively. The older E-510 will be disadvantaged in sensor technology.