Olympus E-510 vs Zeiss ZX1

Below is a in depth overview of the Olympus E-510 vs Zeiss ZX1, former being a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Large Sensor Compact by brands Olympus and Zeiss. There exists a noticeable gap between the resolutions of the E-510 (10MP) and ZX1 (37MP) and the E-510 (Four Thirds) and ZX1 (Full frame) possess totally different sensor measurements.

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The E-510 was manufactured 12 years earlier than the ZX1 and that is quite a sizable difference as far as technology is concerned. Both of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-510 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Zeiss ZX1 being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before we go straight into a in-depth comparison, below is a simple introduction of how the E-510 scores against the ZX1 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus E-510 & Zeiss ZX1. The entire galleries are available at Olympus E-510 Gallery & Zeiss ZX1 Gallery.

For anyone who is looking to lug around your camera regularly, you need to think about its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-510 provides physical 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 Zeiss ZX1 has measurements of 142mm x 93mm x 46mm (5.6" x 3.7" x 1.8") and a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs).

See the Olympus E-510 vs Zeiss ZX1 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you are utilising during that time. Below is the front view physical size comparison of the E-510 versus the ZX1.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-510 and ZX1 is 69 and 67 respectively.

More often than not, it is very tough to envision the difference between sensor measurements simply by checking a spec sheet. The visual here may offer you a better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-510 and ZX1.

As you can see, both cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-510 due to its tinier sensor will make shooting shallow DOF more challenging and the Zeiss ZX1 will resolve greater detail due to its extra 27 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop pictures much more aggressively. The older E-510 is going to be behind with regard to sensor innovation.