Olympus E-M10 vs Sony RX100

Below is a in-depth analysis of the Olympus E-M10 versus Sony RX100, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Large Sensor Compact by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. The sensor resolution of the E-M10 (16MP) and the RX100 (20MP) is fairly well matched but the E-M10 (Four Thirds) and RX100 (1") use totally different sensor measurements.

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The E-M10 was unveiled 19 months later than the RX100 making the cameras a generation apart from each other. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-M10 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony RX100 being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before diving straight into a thorough comparison, below is a simple view of how the E-M10 grades against the RX100 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus OM-D E-M10 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100. The full galleries are available at Olympus E-M10 Gallery & Sony RX100 Gallery.

For anybody who is intending to lug around your camera frequently, you're going to have to take into account its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-M10 enjoys outside measurements of 119mm x 82mm x 46mm (4.7" x 3.2" x 1.8") having a weight of 396 grams (0.87 lbs) whilst the Sony RX100 has measurements of 102mm x 58mm x 36mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.4") with a weight of 240 grams (0.53 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-M10 versus Sony RX100 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you are employing at that time. Underneath is the front view measurement comparison of the E-M10 and the RX100.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the E-M10 and RX100 is 82 and 91 respectively.

Usually, its difficult to visualise the contrast between sensor measurements just by reading through technical specs. The visual below should give you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-M10 and RX100.

As you can tell, both of those cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-M10 having a larger sensor will make achieving shallow depth of field less difficult and the Sony RX100 will give you greater detail having an extra 4MP. Greater resolution can also allow you to crop photos much more aggressively. The newer E-M10 is going to have an edge with regard to sensor tech.