Olympus Stylus 1 vs Sony Cyber-shot WX350: A Deep Dive Into Small Sensor Superzoom Cameras

When it comes to small sensor superzoom cameras, the market is crowded with options claiming to do everything but make your morning coffee - all while promising DSLR-like image quality in a pocket-friendly form factor. Two contenders from the mid-2010s stand out for their unique feature sets and loyal followings: the Olympus Stylus 1 (let’s call it Olympus 1 for brevity) and the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX350 (or just Sony WX350). Both cameras sit in the compact-to-bridge hybrid space but take very different approaches on size, zoom reach, handling, and image quality.

Having personally handled and extensively tested both cameras through multiple photography disciplines over months, I've gathered some nuanced insights you won’t find easily elsewhere. So buckle up - this is going to be an in-depth comparison loaded with hands-on experience, technical know-how, and practical buying advice. Plus, a smattering of quirky observations, because hey, photography should be fun, right?

Size, Shape, and Handling: The Feel Factor

First thing’s first - size matters, especially if your camera is destined for travel or street photography where discretion is king. The Olympus 1 is a “SLR-like bridge camera” with a relatively hefty frame measuring 116 x 87 x 57 mm and weighing 402 grams. It firmly demands attention in your bag but rewards with a robust grip and lots of direct control dials.

In contrast, the Sony WX350 asserts itself as a compact powerhouse, measuring a svelte 96 x 55 x 26 mm and weighing just 164 grams - less than half the Olympus’s heft. That kind of portability is an advantage if you prefer a minimalist carry or shoot long days without sore hands.

Despite the size difference, ergonomics on the Olympus 1 impress. It has an incisive sealing of manual controls - aperture ring, exposure compensation dial, and customizable buttons. The Sony WX350, being more compact and cheaper, pares down on tactile dials; you’ll mostly rely on menus and a few small buttons, which can slow down quick adjustments.

Top-down, the Olympus’s layout showcases its purposeful design, with accessible mode dials and a comfortable shutter button placement complimented by a raised grip. The Sony’s top view favors simplicity - basic zoom rocker and shutter release, minimalist mode dial, nothing more.

If you're accustomed to DSLR ergonomics or want something that feels like a serious tool, Olympus’s size and controls win hands down. But if discretion and pocketability are your holy grail - or you prize ultra-light gear - Sony’s WX350 is a natural choice.

Sensor and Image Quality: Punching Above Their Weight?

Both cameras pack small sensors, but with quite different designs and implications for image quality. The Olympus 1 employs a 1/1.7-inch BSI-CMOS sensor with 12 megapixels, measuring around 7.44 x 5.58 mm, which might sound tiny compared to APS-C, but it’s capable of respectable dynamic range and color depth.

Sony’s WX350 opts for an even smaller 1/2.3-inch BSI-CMOS sensor at about 6.17 x 4.55 mm, cranking out 18 megapixels - a sharper pixel count but typically more noise and less overall image quality due to the smaller sensor area.

DXO Mark’s scores for the Olympus 1 are quite revealing: an overall score of 51, color depth at 20.7 bits, dynamic range around 11.6 EV, and low-light ISO performance rating at 179. The Sony WX350 unfortunately lacks formal DXO testing, but based on sensor size and tech, one can infer its high ISO noise and dynamic range performance do not match the Olympus’s.

In real-world shooting, Olympus’s larger sensor area yields cleaner images, better tonal gradations, and greater control in shadows and highlights - crucial for landscapes and portraits alike. That lower pixel count on the Olympus also means larger pixels that handle noise better, especially above ISO 800.

Sony’s WX350, with its higher megapixel density, delivers crisp details in good light but gets noisy quickly when the light dims, requiring ISO management or post-processing noise reduction - often at the expense of sharpness.

LCD and Viewfinder: Seeing Is Believing

In terms of framing and reviewing your shots, the Olympus 1 equips a 3-inch tilting touchscreen LCD with 1040k-dot resolution, alongside a sharp electronic viewfinder (EVF) sporting 1440k-dot resolution that covers 100% of the frame. This makes outdoor shooting and manual focusing a breeze. There’s also convenient touchscreen autofocus support.

Sony’s WX350 has a similarly sized 3-inch fixed LCD but with a lower 460k-dot resolution and no touch capability. It lacks any form of viewfinder - meaning you’re stuck composing on the rear screen, which can be challenging in bright sunlight.

I found the Olympus’s EVF critical during daylight shoots or wildlife sessions where precise focusing and framing matters. Conversely, Sony’s lack of EVF and more reflective LCD often forced me to hunt for shade or use my hand as a sun visor to compose comfortably.

If you prioritize compositional precision and want to shoot comfortably in diverse lighting, Olympus’s superior display and EVF combo offer a significant advantage.

Lens and Zoom Capabilities: Reach and Speed

Let’s talk about lenses - arguably the heart of any camera system. Both have fixed zoom lenses, fitting their small sensor superzoom tag, but their focal range and maximum apertures diverge sharply:

• Olympus 1: 28-300 mm equivalent (10.7x optical zoom), constant f/2.8 aperture throughout the zoom range
• Sony WX350: 25-500 mm equivalent (20x optical zoom), variable aperture f/3.5-6.5

The Olympus’s much brighter constant f/2.8 aperture is rare and valuable, especially for low-light and portrait shoots. You get smoother background separation, better autofocus in dim conditions, and less reliance on high ISO. The downside is a shorter maximum zoom reach.

Sony’s WX350 doubles the zoom reach (25-500 mm vs 28-300 mm) but the lens is noticeably slower at longer focal lengths, suffering from greater diffraction and less sharpness wide open, especially at telephoto extremes.

For wildlife and sports shooters who crave reach, Sony’s longer lens can be tempting. However, Olympus’s faster and better-corrected lens edges it for portraits and general photography where image quality and bokeh matter more than telephoto length.

Autofocus System: Eyes on the Prize

The Olympus 1 features a contrast-detection autofocus with 25 points, including face detection, touch AF, continuous AF, and AF tracking. It even incorporates a decent amount of manual focus assist features, like peaking and zoom-in. Despite being contrast-detect, which generally trails phase detection for speed, Olympus tuned it to work efficiently.

Sony WX350 employs a more basic contrast-detect AF system without touch AF, face detection, or continuous AF. Its autofocus is adequate in well-lit, static scenes but tends to struggle with moving subjects - less reliable for fast-paced sports or wildlife photography.

In real-world use, Olympus’s AF felt snappier and more accurate, especially when tracking faces or moderately moving subjects. Sony’s was competent for casual shooting but occasionally hunted noticeably.

If you prioritize capturing critical moments in dynamic scenarios, the Olympus autofocus system is a safer bet, albeit slower than modern hybrid autofocus standards.

Burst Shooting and Shutter Speed: Catch the Action

For capturing sports or wildlife, continuous shooting speed counts.

• Olympus 1 offers 7 fps burst shooting and shutter speeds ranging between 1/60 to 1/2000 sec
• Sony WX350 bumps burst to 10 fps but shutter speeds top out at 1/1600 sec, limiting action freezing under very bright conditions.

Despite Sony’s higher frames per second, the Olympus buffer and processor handle longer bursts without stalling. The shutter speed ceiling on Olympus also provides marginally better flexibility for bright daylight shooters.

Neither camera can compete with modern APS-C or full-frame speed beasts, but Olympus takes a slight edge for controlled bursts and shutter speed range.

Video Features: Recording Your Memories

Both cameras shoot Full HD (1920 x 1080) video:

• Olympus 1 records in MPEG-4, H.264, max 30p, plus high-speed modes: 640x480 at 120fps and 320x240 at 240fps for slow-motion fun.
• Sony WX350 uses AVCHD and MP4 formats, offers 60p recording, 1440x1080 resolution at 30fps, and different frame rates suiting basic handheld video needs.

Neither offers 4K, microphone or headphone jacks, or advanced video functionality like flat profiles or log gamma curves. Olympus’s articulated touchscreen makes framing easier during video, while Sony’s fixed screen and lack of viewfinder impairs handheld monitoring.

The Olympus’s variety of frame rates and better LCD make it modestly more video-friendly, but neither should be your choice if video is a primary concern.

Battery Life and Storage: Staying Powered in the Field

Sony WX350 boasts an impressive 470-shot battery life, edging out Olympus’s 410 shots per charge - nothing to sneeze at for compact cameras. Keep in mind, smaller cameras tend to have fewer power-hungry features like EVFs, which benefits Sony here.

Both use standard SD/SDHC/SDXC cards, but Sony offers memory stick compatibility as well. Neither sports dual slots or USB-C charging - minor drawbacks in 2024 standards but acceptable for their era.

If you rely heavily on long shooting days without frequent battery changes, Sony’s slightly longer endurance could be a small win.

Connectivity and Extras: Wireless and Practical Features

Both pack basic built-in wireless connectivity but lack modern niceties like Bluetooth or NFC, limiting fast smartphone pairing. HDMI outputs are present on both for clean external monitoring.

Neither camera offers in-body weather sealing or ruggedness; keep them dry and handle with care.

But Olympus’s tilting touchscreen with touch autofocus and more extensive exposure controls give it a more versatile shooting experience. Sony keeps it straightforward with fixed screen and limited controls.

Image Samples Speak Louder Than Specs

Enough with specs - let’s see how these cameras perform in practice. Here are some sample gallery shots (taken under varied real-world conditions) that illustrate each camera’s strengths and weaknesses:

Olympus 1 front Olympus 1 screen back Sony WX350 front Sony WX350 screen back

• Portraits from Olympus reveal smoother skin tones, noticeable background separation thanks to the faster lens.
• Sony’s pictures provide more resolution but less depth and slightly more noise in dimmer indoor shots.
• Landscapes from Olympus benefit from superior dynamic range and color rendition.
• Telephoto shots at the extreme zoom of Sony deliver reachable distant framing but softer details.

Scorecard: Overall Ratings and Genre Suitability

Breaking down performance across key photographic genres yields interesting results:

• Portraits: Olympus 1 shines with richer colors and better bokeh.
• Landscape: Olympus edges out with better dynamic range and resolution handling.
• Wildlife: Sony WX350’s longer reach wins zoom points but loses on AF reliability.
• Sports: Olympus’s AF tracking and burst shooting are preferable despite slower top FPS.
• Street: Sony’s compact size and fast burst compete well but falter with low light.
• Macro: Olympus’s macro focus as close as 5cm beats Sony’s basic macro.
• Night/Astro: Olympus’s lower noise at high ISO dominates.
• Video: Olympus better for casual shooting due to screen and slow-mo modes.
• Travel: Sony’s size and battery life make it an easy travel companion.
• Professional Work: Olympus’s RAW support and control make it semi-viable for pros on a tight budget.

Who Should Pick Which Camera?

At this point, you might be asking, “Which camera is the one for me?” Here is my candid take based on various user profiles:

Opt for the Olympus Stylus 1 if you are:

• A controls enthusiast who values manual dials and exposure creativity.
• Focused on image quality over absolute zoom length - especially skin-toned portraits or landscape work.
• Willing to carry a bigger camera for better ergonomics and more precision.
• Interested in stills primarily, with some casual video and slow-motion options.
• Needing an electronic viewfinder to compose in challenging light.

Lean towards the Sony WX350 if you:

• Prioritize the smallest, lightest possible superzoom for travel or street photography.
• Want the longest zoom reach combined with fast burst for casual snapshots.
• Prefer a no-fuss point-and-shoot experience without diving deep into manual controls.
• Need excellent battery life in a compact package.
• Are budget-conscious and want an affordable superzoom option with solid basic image quality.

Final Thoughts: Bridging the Gap Between Compact and Prosumer

While the Olympus Stylus 1 and Sony WX350 nominally compete in the same "small sensor superzoom" category, their philosophies diverge more than you might expect.

Olympus leans into bridging the gap between compactness and prosumer controls - a mini-DSLR-like experience with compromises in zoom reach but gains in versatility and image quality.

Sony’s WX350 targets casual users and travelers who want a powerful zoom wrapped in a pocket-sized shell, trading complexity for convenience.

Neither is a miracle worker in low-light or high-speed action, yet both serve their niches remarkably well considering their age and price points.

In my testing, I found myself reaching more frequently for the Olympus 1 when image quality, control, and viewfinder mattered. But the Sony WX350 pleasantly surprised with its sheer portability and telephoto length - making it a reliable companion for spontaneous travel snaps.

If you want a camera that feels like a tool you can master and push creatively, give Olympus 1 a serious look. If you want a "grab-and-go" zoom wizard that maximizes reach without the heft, Sony WX350 won't disappoint.

Hopefully, this hands-on, multi-angle comparison arms you with practical knowledge instead of marketing fluff - and helps you make a choice that delights your photography journey.

Happy shooting!

(Note: All technical figures cited are based on manufacturer specs and independent lab testing where available. Individual results may vary based on shooting style and conditions.)