Olympus 1s vs Sony HX20V

Its time to look much closer at the Olympus 1s and Sony HX20V, both Small Sensor Superzoom digital cameras by companies Olympus and Sony. There is a significant difference between the sensor resolutions of the 1s (12MP) and HX20V (18MP) and the 1s (1/1.7") and HX20V (1/2.3") boast different sensor measurements.

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The 1s was revealed 2 years after the HX20V which is quite a sizable gap as far as tech is concerned. Both of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus 1s being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Sony HX20V being a Compact camera.

Before getting straight to a complete comparison, here is a concise highlight of how the 1s grades versus the HX20V in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

This is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus Stylus 1s and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V. The full galleries are provided at Olympus 1s Gallery and Sony HX20V Gallery.

If you're looking to carry around your camera, you'll need to factor its weight and dimensions. The Olympus 1s provides external dimensions of 116mm x 87mm x 57mm (4.6" x 3.4" x 2.2") with a weight of 402 grams (0.89 lbs) whilst the Sony HX20V has dimensions of 107mm x 62mm x 35mm (4.2" x 2.4" x 1.4") with a weight of 254 grams (0.56 lbs).

Compare the Olympus 1s and Sony HX20V in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you select during that time. The following is a front view over all size comparison of the 1s compared to the HX20V.

Considering size and weight, the portability rating of the 1s and HX20V is 79 and 90 respectively.

Often, its difficult to imagine the difference between sensor sizes only by checking a spec sheet. The picture here should offer you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the 1s and HX20V.

As you can see, each of these cameras come with different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The 1s with its larger sensor is going to make shooting shallower DOF less difficult and the Sony HX20V will resolve greater detail because of its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution will enable you to crop images a good deal more aggressively. The newer 1s should have an edge with regard to sensor technology.