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Olympus E-PM1 vs Sony RX10

Portability
89
Imaging
48
Features
52
Overall
49
Olympus PEN E-PM1 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 front
Portability
58
Imaging
51
Features
76
Overall
61

Olympus E-PM1 vs Sony RX10 Key Specs

Olympus E-PM1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 12800
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 265g - 110 x 64 x 34mm
  • Launched November 2011
  • Updated by Olympus E-PM2
Sony RX10
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 125 - 12800 (Bump to 25600)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-200mm (F2.8) lens
  • 813g - 129 x 88 x 102mm
  • Revealed March 2014
  • Updated by Sony RX10 II
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Olympus E-PM1 vs Sony RX10 Overview

In this article, we will be comparing the Olympus E-PM1 versus Sony RX10, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Large Sensor Superzoom by rivals Olympus and Sony. There is a big difference among the image resolutions of the E-PM1 (12MP) and RX10 (20MP) and the E-PM1 (Four Thirds) and RX10 (1") enjoy different sensor sizing.

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The E-PM1 was launched 3 years earlier than the RX10 which is a fairly big gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-PM1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony RX10 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before diving through a step-by-step comparison, below is a concise summary of how the E-PM1 matches up versus the RX10 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PM1 over the Sony RX10

 E-PM1 RX10 

Reasons to pick Sony RX10 over the Olympus E-PM1

 RX10 E-PM1 
RevealedMarch 2014November 2011More modern by 28 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution1290k460kCrisper screen (+830k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-PM1 and Sony RX10

 E-PM1 RX10 
Focus manually Very accurate focusing
Screen sizing3"3"Equivalent screen measurement
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen
Touch screen Missing Touch screen

Olympus E-PM1 vs Sony RX10 Physical Comparison

If you're aiming to carry around your camera frequently, you have to take into account its weight and size. The Olympus E-PM1 provides physical 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 RX10 has specifications of 129mm x 88mm x 102mm (5.1" x 3.5" x 4.0") with a weight of 813 grams (1.79 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-PM1 versus Sony RX10 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you are using at that time. Below is the front view over all size comparison of the E-PM1 against the RX10.

Olympus E-PM1 vs Sony RX10 size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability score of the E-PM1 and RX10 is 89 and 58 respectively.

Olympus E-PM1 vs Sony RX10 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PM1 vs Sony RX10 Sensor Comparison

Usually, it can be tough to visualize the contrast in sensor sizes simply by looking through technical specs. The image below will provide you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PM1 and RX10.

As you have seen, both of the cameras offer different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The E-PM1 featuring a bigger sensor is going to make getting shallower depth of field simpler and the Sony RX10 will result in more detail utilizing its extra 8 Megapixels. Higher resolution will allow you to crop shots a little more aggressively. The more aged E-PM1 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor tech.

Olympus E-PM1 vs Sony RX10 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PM1 vs Sony RX10 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PM1 vs Sony RX10 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-PM1
Portrait photography with Sony RX10
60
manual focus
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides face detect autofocus
exports RAW files
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
70
focusing manually
good megapixels (20 megapixels)
good sensor size (1")
has face detect focusing
supports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-PM1
Street photography with Sony RX10
75
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
no moving screen
72
has a tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Optical)
good sensor size (1")
supports RAW formats
weather proofing
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-PM1
Sports photography with Sony RX10
49
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides tracking focus
very slow continuous shooting (6.0 fps)
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
lack of phase detect autofocus
67
built in image stabilization (Optical)
good megapixels (20MP)
good sensor size (1")
weather proofing
good battery pack (420 CIPA)
no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-PM1
Travel photography with Sony RX10
45
doesn't have Time Lapse function
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
screen isn't selfie friendly
58
good battery pack (420 per charge)
weather proofing
good megapixels (20MP)
has built in flash
quite wide (24mm)
missing Time Lapse recording
display is not selfie friendly
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-PM1
Landscape photography with Sony RX10
65
manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
doesn't have Time Lapse function
63
focusing manually
quite wide (24mm)
screen size is good (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
good megapixels (20 megapixels)
good sensor size (1")
supports RAW formats
weather proofing
good battery pack (420 CIPA)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
missing Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PM1 as a Vlogging camera
Sony RX10 as a Vlogging camera
34
image stabilization (Sensor based)
provides face detect autofocus
video res high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
screen isn't selfie friendly
doesn't have mic socket
30
quite wide (24mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
has face detect focusing
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
has mic socket
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
display is not selfie friendly
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Olympus E-PM1 vs Sony RX10 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PM1 and Sony RX10
 Olympus PEN E-PM1Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus PEN E-PM1 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Large Sensor Superzoom
Launched 2011-11-23 2014-03-20
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless SLR-like (bridge)
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic VI Bionz X
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 13.2 x 8.8mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 116.2mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 20 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4032 x 3024 5472 x 3648
Highest native ISO 12800 12800
Highest enhanced ISO - 25600
Min native ISO 100 125
RAW support
Min enhanced ISO - 80
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points 35 25
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 24-200mm (8.3x)
Max aperture - f/2.8
Available lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 2.7
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Tilting
Display diagonal 3" 3"
Display resolution 460 thousand dots 1,290 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Display technology HyperCrystal LCD AR(Anti-Reflective) coating WhiteMagic
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,440 thousand dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.7x
Features
Min shutter speed 60s 30s
Max shutter speed 1/4000s 1/3200s
Continuous shutter rate 6.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 10.20 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, fill-flash, slow sync, rear sync, off
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Max flash synchronize 1/160s -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60p, 60i, 24p) ,1440 x 1080 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video file format AVCHD, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 265 gr (0.58 lb) 813 gr (1.79 lb)
Dimensions 110 x 64 x 34mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.3") 129 x 88 x 102mm (5.1" x 3.5" x 4.0")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 52 69
DXO Color Depth rating 21.0 22.9
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.3 12.6
DXO Low light rating 499 474
Other
Battery life 330 photographs 420 photographs
Battery type Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLS-5 NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, continuous)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo
Card slots 1 1
Pricing at release $499 $698