Olympus E-P1 vs Sony RX100 III

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.

This is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus PEN E-P1 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 III. The full galleries are provided at Olympus E-P1 Gallery and Sony RX100 III Gallery.

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.

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.

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

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.