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Olympus E-P1 vs Sony RX100 III

Portability
86
Imaging
47
Features
42
Overall
45
Olympus PEN E-P1 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 III front
Portability
89
Imaging
51
Features
77
Overall
61

Olympus E-P1 vs Sony RX100 III Key Specs

Olympus E-P1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 355g - 121 x 70 x 36mm
  • Introduced July 2009
  • Replacement is Olympus E-P2
Sony RX100 III
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 125 - 12800
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-70mm (F1.8-2.8) lens
  • 290g - 102 x 58 x 41mm
  • Introduced May 2014
  • Succeeded the Sony RX100 II
  • Renewed by Sony RX100 IV
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Olympus E-P1 vs Sony RX100 III Overview

In this write-up, we will be looking at the Olympus E-P1 vs Sony RX100 III, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Large Sensor Compact by competitors Olympus and Sony. There exists a crucial gap between the sensor resolutions of the E-P1 (12MP) and RX100 III (20MP) and the E-P1 (Four Thirds) and RX100 III (1") possess different sensor measurements.

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The E-P1 was unveiled 5 years before the RX100 III which is quite a serious gap as far as technology is concerned. The two cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-P1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony RX100 III being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before we go straight into a detailed comparison, below is a short overview of how the E-P1 matches up vs the RX100 III when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-P1 over the Sony RX100 III

 E-P1 RX100 III 

Reasons to pick Sony RX100 III over the Olympus E-P1

 RX100 III E-P1 
IntroducedMay 2014July 2009Newer by 58 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution1229k230kClearer screen (+999k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Common features in the Olympus E-P1 and Sony RX100 III

 E-P1 RX100 III 
Focus manually More precise focus
Screen sizing3"3"Equivalent screen measurements
Touch friendly screen Lack of Touch friendly screen

Olympus E-P1 vs Sony RX100 III Physical Comparison

If you are aiming to travel with your camera regularly, you should factor its weight and size. The Olympus E-P1 has external measurements of 121mm x 70mm x 36mm (4.8" x 2.8" x 1.4") having a weight of 355 grams (0.78 lbs) and the Sony RX100 III has specifications of 102mm x 58mm x 41mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.6") accompanied by a weight of 290 grams (0.64 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-P1 vs Sony RX100 III in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you have attached at that moment. Here is the front view dimensions comparison of the E-P1 vs the RX100 III.

Olympus E-P1 vs Sony RX100 III size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-P1 and RX100 III is 86 and 89 respectively.

Olympus E-P1 vs Sony RX100 III top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-P1 vs Sony RX100 III Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it is very hard to picture the gap between sensor dimensions just by going over a spec sheet. The pic here will help give you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the E-P1 and RX100 III.

As you can see, both the cameras enjoy different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The E-P1 having a bigger sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field less difficult and the Sony RX100 III will deliver extra detail having an extra 8MP. Higher resolution will help you crop photographs far more aggressively. The more aged E-P1 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor technology.

Olympus E-P1 vs Sony RX100 III sensor size comparison

Olympus E-P1 vs Sony RX100 III Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-P1 vs Sony RX100 III Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-P1
Portrait photography with Sony RX100 III
60
you can focus manually
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
includes face detect focus
delivers RAW formats
low MP (12 megapixels)
64
manual focus
flash sync is higher than normal (1/2,000 seconds)
resolution is good (20 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (1")
supports face detection focus
delivers RAW formats
no external flash support
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-P1 Street photography advice
Sony RX100 III Street photography advice
74
image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
screen does not articulate
85
has a tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Optical)
sensor size is nice (1")
delivers RAW formats
lighter than competition (290g)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-P1 Sports photography details
Sony RX100 III Sports photography details
40
image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
low frames per second (3.0 frames/s)
low MP (12 megapixels)
not so great battery life (300 CIPA)
no phase detect auto focus
65
built in image stabilization (Optical)
resolution is good (20MP)
sensor size is nice (1")
supports tracking autofocus
no phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-P1 Travel photography info
Sony RX100 III Travel photography info
43
doesn't have Time Lapse function
not so great battery life (300 shots)
low MP (12MP)
screen is not selfie friendly
85
lighter than competition (290 grams)
resolution is good (20 megapixels)
built-in flash
display is selfie friendly
decently wide (24mm)
good maximum aperture (f1.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-P1 Landscape photography info
Sony RX100 III Landscape photography info
60
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a decent size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
low MP (12MP)
not so great battery life (300 CIPA)
doesn't have Time Lapse function
73
manual focus
decently wide (24mm)
good maximum aperture (f1.8)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
resolution is good (20 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (1")
delivers RAW formats
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-P1
Vlogging with Sony RX100 III
29
image stabilization (Sensor based)
includes face detect focus
screen is not selfie friendly
video resolution low (1280 x 720 pxls)
doesn't have mic jack
80
decently wide (24mm)
good maximum aperture (f1.8)
display is selfie friendly
built in image stabilization (Optical)
supports face detection focus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
lighter than competition (290 grams)
missing external microphone jack
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-P1 vs Sony RX100 III Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-P1 and Sony RX100 III
 Olympus PEN E-P1Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 III
General Information
Brand Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus PEN E-P1 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 III
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Large Sensor Compact
Introduced 2009-07-29 2014-05-15
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Large Sensor Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic V Bionz X
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 13.2 x 8.8mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 116.2mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 20 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 4032 x 3024 5472 x 3648
Maximum native ISO 6400 12800
Lowest native ISO 100 125
RAW support
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Total focus points 11 25
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 24-70mm (2.9x)
Highest aperture - f/1.8-2.8
Macro focusing range - 5cm
Number of lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 2.7
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Tilting
Display size 3 inches 3 inches
Display resolution 230 thousand dot 1,229 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Display tech HyperCrystal LCD with AR(Anti-Reflective) coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,440 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.59x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Continuous shutter speed 3.0 frames per second 10.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance no built-in flash -
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) -
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/180 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60p/60i/24p), 1280 x 720 (60p/30p/24p/120p), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
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 355 gr (0.78 lb) 290 gr (0.64 lb)
Dimensions 121 x 70 x 36mm (4.8" x 2.8" x 1.4") 102 x 58 x 41mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.6")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 55 67
DXO Color Depth rating 21.4 22.4
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.4 12.3
DXO Low light rating 536 495
Other
Battery life 300 shots 320 shots
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLS-1 NP-BX1
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, self-portrait, continuous)
Time lapse recording With downloadable app
Type of storage SD/SDHC card SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots One One
Price at release $182 $748