Olympus E-PL9 vs Sony RX1

Here, we will be contrasting the Olympus E-PL9 versus Sony RX1, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Large Sensor Compact by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. There exists a substantial gap among the image resolutions of the E-PL9 (16MP) and RX1 (24MP) and the E-PL9 (Four Thirds) and RX1 (Full frame) have different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The E-PL9 was launched 5 years later than the RX1 and that is a fairly big difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-PL9 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony RX1 being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before diving right into a thorough comparison, here is a short introduction of how the E-PL9 grades against the RX1 for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus PEN E-PL9 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX1. The complete galleries are viewable at Olympus E-PL9 Gallery & Sony RX1 Gallery.

If you are going to lug around your camera often, you'll have to consider its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-PL9 features physical measurements of 117mm x 68mm x 39mm (4.6" x 2.7" x 1.5") along with a weight of 380 grams (0.84 lbs) while the Sony RX1 has proportions of 113mm x 65mm x 70mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 2.8") with a weight of 482 grams (1.06 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-PL9 versus Sony RX1 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you are utilizing at that moment. Here is a front view dimension comparison of the E-PL9 vs the RX1.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL9 and RX1 is 85 and 79 respectively.

Sometimes, it's hard to imagine the contrast in sensor measurements just by seeing specifications. The visual below will give you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PL9 and RX1.

Plainly, each of these cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-PL9 because of its smaller sensor is going to make shooting shallow depth of field more challenging and the Sony RX1 will show more detail utilizing its extra 8 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also help you crop shots a good deal more aggressively. The fresher E-PL9 should have an edge in sensor innovation.