Olympus Stylus 1s vs Sony Alpha A6300: The Bridge Camera and Mirrorless Champion Face Off

Choosing the right camera can feel like a high-stakes game - especially when you pit two models as different as the Olympus Stylus 1s and Sony Alpha A6300 side by side. One leans into convenience with its small sensor superzoom design, the other flexes with a large APS-C sensor and professional ambitions. Having extensively tested both in my years behind the lens and through lab benchmarks, I’m eager to share how these distinct beasts compare - not just through charts and specs but real-world deployment across photography genres and workflows.

Form and Feel: Ergonomics in the Hand

At a glance, Olympus Stylus 1s and Sony A6300 occupy very different spots on the spectrum. The Stylus 1s is a compact, bridge-style camera with an integrated 28-300mm f/2.8 lens that gratifies zoom lovers without a lens swap. Its SLR-like shape provides a reassuring grip, bestowing more physical presence without the heft of DSLR monoliths.

Conversely, the Sony A6300 is a mirrorless lightweight, rangefinder-esque in silhouette, with a compact 120x67x49mm chassis. While similar in weight (~400g for both), the thinner profile of the A6300 better caters to those prioritizing portability and easy carry during street or travel photography.

I find the Olympus grip to be more contoured for extended handheld comfort, especially with heavier lenses, whereas the Sony places its emphasis on minimalist discreetness. Both tilt their 3-inch screens, enhancing composition flexibility from challenging angles - though Olympus’s touchscreen adds an intuitive user interaction layer absent on the Sony.

Controls on the A6300 win points for professional-style versatility: an ISO dial, stocky front and rear dials, and layered customizable buttons consistently improve operation speed for advanced users. Olympus leans more casual, integrating fewer physical buttons but making up ground with touchscreen menus and straightforward control logic. For beginners or hybrid shooters who want something less daunting, the 1s can feel more accessible.

Sensor and Image Quality: Small Sensor vs APS-C

Right under the hood, the battle lines are drawn most sharply: Olympus packs a 1/1.7" BSI CMOS sensor of 12MP resolution, while Sony delights shooters with a 24MP APS-C CMOS sensor and BIONZ X processor.

Sensor real estate shapes quite a bit of photographic outcome. Sony's APS-C sensor boasts about 366.6mm² surface area, nearly nine times larger than the Olympus’s 41.5mm² sensor.[See sensor size visualization below.]

What does this mean practically?

• Dynamic Range: Sony's sensor offers around 13.7 stops of dynamic range per DxO Mark, superior for capturing nuanced shadow-to-highlight transitions, critical in landscape and portraiture work. Olympus, though competent, can’t match the same latitude.

• Color Depth: With 24.4 bits, the Sony A6300 affords richer, more gradated color portrayal than the Olympus with its unlisted but noticeably lower capacity.

• Low-Light Performance: Sony’s native ISO extends to 25600 with a boost up to 51200, crushing the Olympus’s top of 12800 native ISO. In practice, this difference manifests as cleaner images at night or indoor gigs with flickering tungsten bulbs.

• Resolution: 24MP over 12MP means Sony images can hold up to larger print sizes and more aggressive cropping without degradation.

Still, the Olympus sensor is not irrelevant. It’s optimized for the bridge-style camera’s operation, maintaining punchy images suitable for casual users and enthusiasts. The presence of an anti-aliasing filter reduces moiré artifacts at the expense of some micro-detail, which can be a tradeoff favoring smoother results.

Autofocus, Speed, and Burst Shooting: Hunting the Moment

Autofocus (AF) prowess is a decisive factor here.

The Olympus 1s employs a contrast-detection AF system with 35 focus points, including face detection. Sony’s A6300 vastly surpasses this with 425 hybrid autofocus points using phase and contrast detection, enabling much swifter and more reliable performance - especially with moving subjects.

In practical use:

• Continuous Shooting: Olympus maxes out at 7 FPS, a respectable speed for a bridge camera. Sony delivers an 11 FPS mechanical shutter burst, all with full AF tracking locked on, enabling it to catch high-speed wildlife, sports, or street action with a higher keeper rate.

• Tracking Accuracy: Sony's multitude of focus points and advanced algorithms mean greater reliability when tracking erratic subjects - a significant advantage for sports and wildlife photographers.

Olympus autofocus works fine for portraits, landscapes, and casual wildlife, but you feel the difference when time-critical captures are necessary.

Construction and Weather Sealing: Ready For the Field?

The Olympus Stylus 1s is not weather sealed; it’s not ruggedized against dust or moisture, which somewhat limits serious outdoor or travel photography in challenging conditions.

Sony, on the other hand, implemented environmental sealing on the A6300 body, an appealing factor for professionals shooting in misty forests or rain-prone events.

Both cameras avoid waterproof claims, but Sony's magnesium alloy chassis feels more robust, justifying confidence during heavy usage.

User Interface: Balancing Touch and Physical Controls

The Olympus 1s features a 3-inch tilting touchscreen with 1040K-dot resolution - brilliantly bright and responsive. This interface shines for quick menu adjustments and touch-based focusing options. Its OLED Electronic Viewfinder (EVF) resolution is 1440K dots, ample for framing.

The Sony A6300 also sports a 3-inch tilting LCD but lacks touchscreen functionality, perhaps puzzling given its advanced status. However, its EVF with 2359K dots offers excellent, detailed framing clarity essential for precise manual focusing and check focus.

Fans of tactile dials and customizable buttons will prefer Sony’s setup, while Olympus offers a clean, touchscreen-driven UI that appeals to casual or novice users.

Zoom Range and Lens Ecosystem: Fixed vs Interchangeable

Olympus Stylus 1s’s defining trait is its built-in 28-300mm f/2.8 lens - a constant bright aperture across a broad zoom range that's truly impressive on a compact platform. This covers wide-angle to telephoto effectively without changing lenses, making it excellent for travel, street, and walk-around photography where swapping lenses is a hassle.

In contrast, the Sony A6300 supports Sony E-mount lenses, with an ecosystem of 121 lenses available. This flexibility is unparalleled. You can mount ultra-wide landscape lenses, specialized macro optics, fast primes for portraits, or professional telephotos for sports and wildlife.

This discrepancy is crucial based on your priorities:

• Want simplicity and no fuss? Olympus wins hands down.
• Crave versatility and best-in-class optics? Sony’s system is more future-proof and capable.

Image Stabilization and Handling Low Light

Olympus offers optical image stabilization (OIS), which can deliver noticeable benefits at telephoto focal lengths and while shooting handheld in dim conditions. This complements its low-to-mid ISO range, improving sharpness in everyday use.

Sony A6300 lacks in-camera stabilization, relying instead on stabilized lenses or fast shutter speeds. For users with OSS (Optical SteadyShot) equipped lenses, this is mitigated, but the absence of body stabilization affects handheld shooting versatility somewhat.

Battery Life and Storage

Olympus’s BLS-50 battery rates about 450 shots per charge, comfortably above average for its class. Sony’s NP-FW50 battery is slightly less enduring at 400 shots typical, but this is still respectable.

Both use a single SD/SDHC/SDXC card slot, supporting large-capacity cards ensuring ample shooting time.

Connectivity and Extras

Each camera embeds wireless connectivity, though neither supports Bluetooth. Olympus simplifies wireless photo transfer and remote control; Sony adds NFC support for faster pairing.

Sony edges out with a microphone port, enhancing video shoot flexibility. Olympus lacks audio input but incorporates basic timelapse recording and self-timer customization.

Video Capabilities: HD vs 4K

When video enters the frame, Sony crushes with 4K recording at 30p and 24p, plus Full HD up to 120fps for slow motion. Formats include MPEG-4, AVCHD, and XAVC S, giving filmmakers professional options on a compact body.

Olympus outputs Full HD (1080p) capped at 30fps, with no 4K support. The lack of a microphone port further limits its video utility.

For casual video, Olympus suffices; for content creators or hybrid shooters, Sony is the clear choice.

Putting it to Work Across Photography Genres

Portraiture:
Sony’s APS-C sensor delivers better image quality, skin tone rendition, and creamy bokeh when paired with fast prime lenses. Its 425 AF points and face detection add dependable eye tracking. Olympus’s f/2.8 lens is versatile but limited by sensor size and digital crop.

Landscape:
Sony shines here due to superior dynamic range and resolution. Weather sealing is comforting on hikes. Olympus offers a portable all-in-one but compromises fine detail capture and highlight retention.

Wildlife and Sports:
Sony’s fast burst modes and phase-detection AF system excel at maintaining focus on unpredictable subjects, while Olympus’s smaller sensor and slower burst rates hamper performance.

Street:
Olmpus’s compact size, silent operation, and long zoom are assets for street photographers seeking discretion and versatility. Sony is small but less unobtrusive and requires lens changes.

Macro:
Olympus macro focusing range down to 5cm is handy; Sony depends on specialized lenses, giving higher potential for magnification and sharpness but less convenience.

Astrophotography/Night:
Sony’s large sensor and high ISO capability outperform Olympus in low-light, enabling cleaner star fields and night scenes.

Travel:
Olympus packs a travel-friendly punch with its fixed lens, robust zoom, and stabilizer. Sony demands lens selection but provides better image quality across the board.

Professional Use:
Sony’s RAW support, file format versatility, and robust build cater better to professional workflows. Olympus’s simpler setup suits hobbyists and casual pros not requiring interchangeable optics.

Olympus 1s front Olympus 1s screen back Sony A6300 front Sony A6300 screen back

Overall Performance Scores and Value Insights

Looking at measured lab and field benchmarks:

Sony A6300 achieves top marks in image quality, autofocus, burst speed, and video. Olympus 1s scores respectably for ergonomics, zoom range, and ease of use.

In genre-specific rankings:

Sony leads in almost every category except street and travel, which are more balanced due to Olympus’s compact superzoom advantage.

Final Verdict: Who Should Buy Which Camera?

The Olympus Stylus 1s is a stellar choice if:

• You want a versatile all-in-one travel companion without lens changes.
• You value a constant f/2.8 aperture across an expansive zoom.
• You appreciate compact, ergonomic design with touchscreen ease.
• You shoot mostly daylight, casual outings, landscapes, or occasional portraits.
• Video is secondary.

The Sony Alpha A6300 is better suited if:

• You require superior image quality, especially in low light and high resolution.
• You need blazing autofocus and burst rates for sports or wildlife.
• You desire full 4K video capabilities with external mic input.
• You want a future-proof system with access to a large lens ecosystem.
• You are a dedicated enthusiast or professional demanding higher reliability and control.

In a nutshell, these cameras demonstrate how divergent paths - Olympus’s small sensor fixed superzoom vs Sony’s agile APS-C mirrorless platform - serve different photographic philosophies. There’s no outright “winner” - only a question of priorities. I hope this comparative journey through both models helps you zero in on the camera that best elevates your craft.

Happy shooting!