Olympus E-PL1 vs Sony RX100 IV

In this write-up, we are looking at the Olympus E-PL1 vs Sony RX100 IV, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Large Sensor Compact by rivals Olympus and Sony. There exists a large gap between the resolutions of the E-PL1 (12MP) and RX100 IV (20MP) and the E-PL1 (Four Thirds) and RX100 IV (1") use different sensor dimensions.

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The E-PL1 was unveiled 6 years prior to the RX100 IV and that is quite a serious difference as far as technology is concerned. Each of these cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-PL1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony RX100 IV being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before diving straight into a in-depth comparison, below is a simple view of how the E-PL1 grades against the RX100 IV when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Here is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN E-PL1 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 IV. The full galleries are provided at Olympus E-PL1 Gallery & Sony RX100 IV Gallery.

For those who are going to carry your camera regularly, you are going to need to think about its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-PL1 has exterior dimensions of 115mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") with a weight of 334 grams (0.74 lbs) while the Sony RX100 IV has measurements of 102mm x 58mm x 41mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.6") with a weight of 298 grams (0.66 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-PL1 vs Sony RX100 IV in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you are using at that moment. Following is the front view dimensions comparison of the E-PL1 versus the RX100 IV.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-PL1 and RX100 IV is 86 and 89 respectively.

More often than not, it is very hard to picture the gap between sensor sizing merely by going over a spec sheet. The photograph underneath will help provide you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PL1 and RX100 IV.

As you can see, the 2 cameras offer different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The E-PL1 having a larger sensor is going to make shooting shallower depth of field simpler and the Sony RX100 IV will deliver greater detail having an extra 8MP. Greater resolution will allow you to crop pics a little more aggressively. The older E-PL1 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.