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Olympus E-PL9 vs Sony RX1R

Portability
85
Imaging
56
Features
78
Overall
64
Olympus PEN E-PL9 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX1R front
Portability
79
Imaging
70
Features
58
Overall
65

Olympus E-PL9 vs Sony RX1R Key Specs

Olympus E-PL9
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 200 - 6400 (Bump to 25600)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 380g - 117 x 68 x 39mm
  • Released February 2018
  • Superseded the Olympus E-PL8
Sony RX1R
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 35mm (F2.0) lens
  • 482g - 113 x 65 x 70mm
  • Released June 2013
  • Refreshed by Sony RX1R II
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Olympus E-PL9 vs Sony RX1R Overview

Its time to look much closer at the Olympus E-PL9 versus Sony RX1R, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Large Sensor Compact by competitors Olympus and Sony. There exists a sizable gap between the image resolutions of the E-PL9 (16MP) and RX1R (24MP) and the E-PL9 (Four Thirds) and RX1R (Full frame) boast totally different sensor size.

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The E-PL9 was released 4 years after the RX1R which is quite a significant difference as far as technology is concerned. The two cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL9 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony RX1R being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before getting into a detailed comparison, here is a short summation of how the E-PL9 grades versus the RX1R when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL9 over the Sony RX1R

 E-PL9 RX1R 
ReleasedFebruary 2018June 2013Newer by 57 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Sony RX1R over the Olympus E-PL9

 RX1R E-PL9 
Display resolution1229k1040kCrisper display (+189k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-PL9 and Sony RX1R

 E-PL9 RX1R 
Manual focus Very precise focusing
Display dimensions3"3"Equal display size
Selfie screen Lack of selfie screen

Olympus E-PL9 vs Sony RX1R Physical Comparison

For anyone who is looking to travel with your camera, you'll have to think about its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-PL9 offers outside measurements of 117mm x 68mm x 39mm (4.6" x 2.7" x 1.5") with a weight of 380 grams (0.84 lbs) and the Sony RX1R has measurements of 113mm x 65mm x 70mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 2.8") having a weight of 482 grams (1.06 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-PL9 versus Sony RX1R in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you select at the time. The following is a front view over all size comparison of the E-PL9 vs the RX1R.

Olympus E-PL9 vs Sony RX1R size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL9 and RX1R is 85 and 79 respectively.

Olympus E-PL9 vs Sony RX1R top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL9 vs Sony RX1R Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, its hard to visualise the gap between sensor dimensions purely by reviewing a spec sheet. The pic here will give you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PL9 and RX1R.

Clearly, both of the cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The E-PL9 because of its tinier sensor will make achieving shallow depth of field tougher and the Sony RX1R will deliver more detail as a result of its extra 8 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also enable you to crop images more aggressively. The newer E-PL9 will have an edge with regard to sensor technology.

Olympus E-PL9 vs Sony RX1R sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL9 vs Sony RX1R Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL9 vs Sony RX1R Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL9 Portrait photography advice
Sony RX1R Portrait photography advice
73
focusing manually
decent MP (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
features face detect focusing
supports RAW files
82
has manual focus
high flash sync (1/4,000s)
good MP (24MP)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
features face detection focus
exports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL9 Street photography info
Sony RX1R Street photography info
84
screen tilts up and down
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
comes with touch to focus
66
sensor size is great (Full frame)
exports RAW files
very good ISO range (25,600)
fixed screen
lack of image stabilization
heavier than competition (482 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL9 as a Sports photography camera
Sony RX1R as a Sports photography camera
69
silent mode (1/16,000s)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
features tracking focus
lack of phase detect AF
53
good MP (24MP)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
features tracking autofocus
focal length is fixed (35mm)
slow continuous shooting (5.0 frames per second)
lack of image stabilization
not so great battery power (270 per charge)
does not have phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL9 Travel photography info
Sony RX1R Travel photography info
77
connects via bluetooth
comes with touch to focus
decent MP (16MP)
flash built-in
does not posses selfie friendly screen
62
good MP (24 megapixels)
flash built-in
very good max aperture (f2.0)
does not have Time Lapse recording
not so great battery power (270 shots)
heavier than competition (482 grams)
display isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-PL9
Landscape photography with Sony RX1R
80
focusing manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent MP (16MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
66
has manual focus
very good max aperture (f2.0)
screen size is good (3 inch)
good MP (24MP)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
does not have anti aliasing filter
very good ISO range (25,600)
exports RAW files
cannot switch lens (fixed lens mount)
focal length is fixed (35mm)
lack of image stabilization
not so great battery power (270 CIPA)
does not have Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL9 Vlogging information
Sony RX1R Vlogging information
35
touchscreen functionality
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
features face detect focusing
high res video (3840 x 2160 pxls)
does not posses selfie friendly screen
missing microphone support
34
very good max aperture (f2.0)
features face detection focus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
comes with external mic port
display isn't selfie friendly
lack of image stabilization
heavier than competition (482g)
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Olympus E-PL9 vs Sony RX1R Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL9 and Sony RX1R
 Olympus PEN E-PL9Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX1R
General Information
Company Olympus Sony
Model Olympus PEN E-PL9 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX1R
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Large Sensor Compact
Released 2018-02-08 2013-06-26
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Large Sensor Compact
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic VIII -
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Full frame
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 35.8 x 23.9mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 855.6mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 24 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4608 x 3456 6000 x 4000
Max native ISO 6400 25600
Max boosted ISO 25600 -
Min native ISO 200 100
RAW images
Min boosted ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Number of focus points 121 25
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 35mm (1x)
Maximum aperture - f/2.0
Amount of lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1
Screen
Display type Tilting Fixed Type
Display sizing 3" 3"
Resolution of display 1,040 thousand dot 1,229 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Display technology - Xtra FineTFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) Electronic and Optical (optional)
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Highest quiet shutter speed 1/16000 seconds -
Continuous shooting speed 8.6 frames per sec 5.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 7.60 m (at ISO 200) 6.00 m
Flash options Auto, manual, redeye reduction, slow sync w/redeye reduction, slow sync , slow sync 2nd-curtain, fill-in, off Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync, Rear Sync, Wireless
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash sync - 1/4000 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 102 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM 1920 x 1080 (60, 50, 25, 24 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30, 25 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 25 fps)
Max video resolution 3840x2160 1920x1080
Video format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, AVCHD
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 380g (0.84 lbs) 482g (1.06 lbs)
Physical dimensions 117 x 68 x 39mm (4.6" x 2.7" x 1.5") 113 x 65 x 70mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 2.8")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested 91
DXO Color Depth score not tested 25.0
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 13.6
DXO Low light score not tested 2537
Other
Battery life 350 photos 270 photos
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model - NP-BX1
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC card (UHS-I supported) SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots One One
Retail cost $599 $2,798