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Olympus E-M1 vs Sony RX1

Portability
71
Imaging
53
Features
85
Overall
65
Olympus OM-D E-M1 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX1 front
Portability
79
Imaging
70
Features
57
Overall
64

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony RX1 Key Specs

Olympus E-M1
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 497g - 130 x 94 x 63mm
  • Introduced October 2013
  • Newer Model is Olympus E-M1 II
Sony RX1
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 35mm (F2.0-22.0) lens
  • 482g - 113 x 65 x 70mm
  • Announced February 2013
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Olympus E-M1 vs Sony RX1 Overview

On this page, we will be matching up the Olympus E-M1 and Sony RX1, one is a Pro Mirrorless and the latter is a Large Sensor Compact by competitors Olympus and Sony. There is a huge difference between the sensor resolutions of the E-M1 (16MP) and RX1 (24MP) and the E-M1 (Four Thirds) and RX1 (Full frame) provide different sensor sizing.

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The E-M1 was launched 9 months after the RX1 and they are of a similar generation. The two cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-M1 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony RX1 being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before we go right into a complete comparison, here is a short synopsis of how the E-M1 scores vs the RX1 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M1 over the Sony RX1

 E-M1 RX1 
AnnouncedOctober 2013February 2013More modern by 9 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Sony RX1 over the Olympus E-M1

 RX1 E-M1 
Screen resolution1229k1037kSharper screen (+192k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-M1 and Sony RX1

 E-M1 RX1 
Focus manually Dial precise focusing
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen measurement
Selfie screen Lacking selfie screen

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony RX1 Physical Comparison

If you're planning to carry around your camera often, you have to factor in its weight and size. The Olympus E-M1 offers external dimensions of 130mm x 94mm x 63mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.5") accompanied by a weight of 497 grams (1.10 lbs) and the Sony RX1 has specifications of 113mm x 65mm x 70mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 2.8") accompanied by a weight of 482 grams (1.06 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-M1 and Sony RX1 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you have at that moment. The following is a front view measurements comparison of the E-M1 and the RX1.

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony RX1 size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the E-M1 and RX1 is 71 and 79 respectively.

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony RX1 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony RX1 Sensor Comparison

Often, it can be hard to imagine the contrast between sensor sizes only by going over specs. The pic below should give you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-M1 and RX1.

As you can plainly see, each of the cameras have different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The E-M1 featuring a tinier sensor is going to make getting shallow DOF more difficult and the Sony RX1 will offer you extra detail utilizing its extra 8 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also help you crop shots a bit more aggressively. The younger E-M1 should have a benefit with regard to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony RX1 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony RX1 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony RX1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-M1
Portrait photography with Sony RX1
71
has manual focus
above average flash sync (1/320s)
megapixel count decent (16MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
offers face detect focusing
exports RAW files
82
has manual focus
high flash sync speed (1/4,000 seconds)
good MP (24MP)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
comes with face detect focusing
delivers RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Street photography details
Sony RX1 Street photography details
78
has a tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
supports touch focus
weather proofing
lighter than competitors (497 grams)
above average high ISO (25,600)
66
sensor size is large (Full frame)
delivers RAW formats
good ISO range (25,600)
no moving screen
does not have image stabilization
heavier than competition in class (482 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Sports photography factors
Sony RX1 Sports photography factors
70
high shutter speed (1/8,000s)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
offers tracking focus
weather proofing
supports phase detect AF
terrible battery power (350 per charge)
53
good MP (24 megapixels)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
comes with tracking focus
focal length is fixed (35mm)
painfully slow continuous shooting (5.0 frames/s)
does not have image stabilization
not so great battery life (270 shots)
does not have phase detect AF
Photography Glossary

Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M1 as a Travel photography camera
Sony RX1 as a Travel photography camera
65
lighter than competitors (497 grams)
weather proofing
supports touch focus
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
terrible battery power (350 shots)
screen isn't selfie friendly
62
good MP (24MP)
flash built-in
good maximum aperture (f2.0)
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
not so great battery life (270 CIPA)
heavier than competition in class (482g)
does not have selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-M1
Landscape photography with Sony RX1
73
has manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a decent size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
above average high ISO (25,600)
exports RAW files
weather proofing
terrible battery power (350 per charge)
65
has manual focus
good maximum aperture (f2.0)
nice screen size (3 inch)
good MP (24MP)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
good ISO range (25,600)
delivers RAW formats
can't change lens (fixed lens mount)
focal length is fixed (35mm)
does not have image stabilization
not so great battery life (270 shots)
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Vlogging advice
Sony RX1 Vlogging advice
36
built-in touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
offers face detect focusing
high quality video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
comes with mic socket
lighter than competitors (497g)
screen isn't selfie friendly
34
good maximum aperture (f2.0)
comes with face detect focusing
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
does have mic jack
does not have selfie friendly display
does not have image stabilization
heavier than competition in class (482 grams)
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Olympus E-M1 vs Sony RX1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M1 and Sony RX1
 Olympus OM-D E-M1Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX1
General Information
Make Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus OM-D E-M1 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX1
Type Pro Mirrorless Large Sensor Compact
Introduced 2013-10-28 2013-02-19
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Large Sensor Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePIC VII -
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Full frame
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 35.8 x 23.8mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 852.0mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 24MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4608 x 3456 6000 x 4000
Highest native ISO 25600 25600
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW files
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points 81 25
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 35mm (1x)
Max aperture - f/2.0-22.0
Total lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 1
Screen
Display type Tilting Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3 inch 3 inch
Display resolution 1,037k dot 1,229k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Display technology - Xtra FineTFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic Electronic and Optical (optional)
Viewfinder resolution 2,360k dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.74x -
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60s 30s
Fastest shutter speed 1/8000s 1/4000s
Continuous shutter speed 10.0 frames/s 5.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 6.00 m
Flash settings Flash Auto, Redeye, Fill-in, Flash Off, Red-eye Slow sync (1st curtain), Slow sync (1st curtain), Slow sync (2nd curtain), Manual Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/320s 1/4000s
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60, 50, 25, 24 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30, 25 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 25 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video format H.264, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 497 grams (1.10 lbs) 482 grams (1.06 lbs)
Physical dimensions 130 x 94 x 63mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.5") 113 x 65 x 70mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 2.8")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 73 93
DXO Color Depth rating 23.0 25.1
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.7 14.3
DXO Low light rating 757 2534
Other
Battery life 350 photographs 270 photographs
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLN-1 NP-BX1
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots Single Single
Cost at release $799 $2,798