Olympus FE-4000 vs Sony HX1

Its time to look much closer at the Olympus FE-4000 and Sony HX1, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by brands Olympus and Sony. There is a sizeable difference between the resolutions of the FE-4000 (12MP) and HX1 (9MP) and the FE-4000 (1/2.3") and HX1 (1/2.4") feature totally different sensor size.

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The FE-4000 was introduced 4 months later than the HX1 which means that they are both of a similar generation. Both cameras offer different body type with the Olympus FE-4000 being a Compact camera and the Sony HX1 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before getting in to a complete comparison, below is a brief view of how the FE-4000 matches up versus the HX1 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus FE-4000 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX1. The whole galleries are provided at Olympus FE-4000 Gallery and Sony HX1 Gallery.

If you're going to lug around your camera frequently, you're going to have to factor its weight and measurements. The Olympus FE-4000 enjoys external dimensions of 95mm x 57mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") having a weight of 136 grams (0.30 lbs) whilst the Sony HX1 has proportions of 115mm x 83mm x 92mm (4.5" x 3.3" x 3.6") and a weight of 544 grams (1.20 lbs).

Check out the Olympus FE-4000 and Sony HX1 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you use at that time. Underneath is the front view dimensions comparison of the FE-4000 against the HX1.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability score of the FE-4000 and HX1 is 95 and 67 respectively.

Often, it's hard to visualise the contrast between sensor measurements purely by looking at technical specs. The visual below should provide you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the FE-4000 and HX1.

As you can tell, both of the cameras enjoy different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The FE-4000 using its larger sensor will make shooting shallower depth of field easier and the Olympus FE-4000 will give greater detail using its extra 3MP. Greater resolution will enable you to crop photos far more aggressively.