Olympus SZ-30MR vs Sony RX1R

Below is a complete review of the Olympus SZ-30MR versus Sony RX1R, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Large Sensor Compact by competitors Olympus and Sony. There is a noticeable difference between the resolutions of the SZ-30MR (16MP) and RX1R (24MP) and the SZ-30MR (1/2.3") and RX1R (Full frame) offer different sensor sizes.

Photography Glossary

The SZ-30MR was brought out 3 years before the RX1R and that is quite a sizable difference as far as tech is concerned. Both of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus SZ-30MR being a Compact camera and the Sony RX1R being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before getting into a thorough comparison, here is a quick summary of how the SZ-30MR matches up against the RX1R with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus SZ-30MR & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX1R. The entire galleries are available at Olympus SZ-30MR Gallery & Sony RX1R Gallery.

If you are going to lug around your camera frequently, you need to factor in its weight and proportions. The Olympus SZ-30MR has physical measurements of 106mm x 69mm x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") having a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs) while the Sony RX1R has measurements of 113mm x 65mm x 70mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 2.8") and a weight of 482 grams (1.06 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus SZ-30MR versus Sony RX1R in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you are employing at the time. Underneath is a front view dimensions comparison of the SZ-30MR against the RX1R.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability grade of the SZ-30MR and RX1R is 89 and 79 respectively.

Often, it's hard to imagine the gap between sensor measurements purely by checking specs. The visual below might give you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the SZ-30MR and RX1R.

All in all, both cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The SZ-30MR due to its tinier sensor is going to make achieving shallower DOF more challenging and the Sony RX1R will give you more detail having its extra 8 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also help you crop images a good deal more aggressively. The older SZ-30MR is going to be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.