Olympus E-PM1 vs Sony QX1

Its time to take a deeper look at the Olympus E-PM1 versus Sony QX1, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Lens-style by competitors Olympus and Sony. There is a noticeable difference between the sensor resolutions of the E-PM1 (12MP) and QX1 (20MP) and the E-PM1 (Four Thirds) and QX1 (APS-C) posses different sensor sizing.

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The E-PM1 was introduced 3 years earlier than the QX1 and that is quite a sizable difference as far as tech is concerned. Both of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-PM1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony QX1 being a Lens-style camera.

Before delving straight to a complete comparison, here is a short summation of how the E-PM1 matches up against the QX1 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

The following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus PEN E-PM1 & Sony Alpha QX1. The whole galleries are available at Olympus E-PM1 Gallery & Sony QX1 Gallery.

For those who are planning to carry your camera, you are going to need to take into account its weight and size. The Olympus E-PM1 has got outer measurements of 110mm x 64mm x 34mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.3") with a weight of 265 grams (0.58 lbs) whilst the Sony QX1 has specifications of 74mm x 70mm x 53mm (2.9" x 2.8" x 2.1") accompanied by a weight of 216 grams (0.48 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-PM1 versus Sony QX1 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you have at the time. Below is a front view measurements comparison of the E-PM1 against the QX1.

Using size and weight, the portability score of the E-PM1 and QX1 is 89 and 90 respectively.

Often, its hard to visualize the gap between sensor sizing just by reading specifications. The graphic below might give you a clearer sense of the sensor measurements in the E-PM1 and QX1.

Plainly, the two cameras come with different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The E-PM1 with its tinier sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF harder and the Sony QX1 will deliver extra detail using its extra 8 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop shots a good deal more aggressively. The older E-PM1 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.