Olympus E-M1 vs Sony HX90V

Below is a extensive assessment of the Olympus E-M1 and Sony HX90V, one being a Pro Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. The sensor resolution of the E-M1 (16MP) and the HX90V (18MP) is fairly close but the E-M1 (Four Thirds) and HX90V (1/2.3") posses different sensor measurements.

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The E-M1 was introduced 17 months prior to the HX90V making them a generation apart from one another. The two cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-M1 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony HX90V being a Compact camera.

Before going straight to a comprehensive comparison, here is a brief view of how the E-M1 grades against the HX90V when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus OM-D E-M1 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX90V. The whole galleries are provided at Olympus E-M1 Gallery and Sony HX90V Gallery.

For anyone who is looking to lug around your camera regularly, you need to factor its weight and size. The Olympus E-M1 comes with external dimensions of 130mm x 94mm x 63mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.5") and a weight of 497 grams (1.10 lbs) whilst the Sony HX90V has specifications of 102mm x 58mm x 36mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.4") accompanied by a weight of 245 grams (0.54 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-M1 and Sony HX90V in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you choose at that moment. Below is a front view size comparison of the E-M1 against the HX90V.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-M1 and HX90V is 71 and 91 respectively.

Quite often, it is hard to imagine the difference in sensor measurements only by researching technical specs. The visual underneath may provide you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the E-M1 and HX90V.

As you can tell, both cameras have different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-M1 using its larger sensor is going to make achieving shallower DOF simpler and the Sony HX90V will render more detail using its extra 2MP. Greater resolution will also allow you to crop pics a bit more aggressively. The older E-M1 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.