Olympus 1 vs Sony A58

Its time to take a closer look at the Olympus 1 vs Sony A58, one being a Small Sensor Superzoom and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Olympus and Sony. There exists a big gap among the image resolutions of the 1 (12MP) and A58 (20MP) and the 1 (1/1.7") and A58 (APS-C) posses different sensor sizing.

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The 1 was unveiled within a month of the A58 so they are both of a similar generation. The two cameras have different body design with the Olympus 1 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Sony A58 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before going straight to a detailed comparison, here is a simple summary of how the 1 matches up vs the A58 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Here is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus Stylus 1 and Sony SLT-A58. The full galleries are available at Olympus 1 Gallery and Sony A58 Gallery.

If you're planning to carry your camera, you will need to factor its weight and size. The Olympus 1 features external dimensions of 116mm x 87mm x 57mm (4.6" x 3.4" x 2.2") along with a weight of 402 grams (0.89 lbs) and the Sony A58 has specifications of 129mm x 95mm x 78mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 3.1") along with a weight of 492 grams (1.08 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus 1 vs Sony A58 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you are working with during that time. Underneath is a front view physical size comparison of the 1 vs the A58.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the 1 and A58 is 79 and 68 respectively.

Normally, it is very hard to picture the difference in sensor sizing purely by researching specifications. The visual below might give you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the 1 and A58.

To sum up, both of the cameras have different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The 1 having a smaller sensor is going to make getting shallow DOF trickier and the Sony A58 will provide you with extra detail having an extra 8 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop photos a bit more aggressively.