Olympus VG-160 vs Sony RX1

Below, we will be evaluating the Olympus VG-160 vs Sony RX1, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Large Sensor Compact by competitors Olympus and Sony. There exists a significant gap between the resolutions of the VG-160 (14MP) and RX1 (24MP) and the VG-160 (1/2.3") and RX1 (Full frame) come with different sensor sizes.

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The VG-160 was revealed 13 months earlier than the RX1 which makes the cameras a generation apart from one another. Both cameras come with different body type with the Olympus VG-160 being a Compact camera and the Sony RX1 being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before going through a in-depth comparison, below is a simple summary of how the VG-160 scores against the RX1 for portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Below is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus VG-160 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX1. The full galleries are provided at Olympus VG-160 Gallery and Sony RX1 Gallery.

For those who are planning to carry your camera regularly, you need to factor its weight and volume. The Olympus VG-160 offers outer dimensions of 96mm x 57mm x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") along with a weight of 125 grams (0.28 lbs) while the Sony RX1 has sizing of 113mm x 65mm x 70mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 2.8") with a weight of 482 grams (1.06 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus VG-160 vs Sony RX1 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you are working with at the time. Underneath is the front view scale comparison of the VG-160 against the RX1.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the VG-160 and RX1 is 96 and 79 respectively.

Quite often, its difficult to visualize the gap between sensor sizing only by looking at a spec sheet. The photograph underneath will help give you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the VG-160 and RX1.

Clearly, both cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The VG-160 with its tinier sensor is going to make achieving shallower depth of field more challenging and the Sony RX1 will give greater detail because of its extra 10MP. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop pictures much more aggressively. The older VG-160 is going to be behind in sensor innovation.