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Olympus XZ-1 vs Sony A99 II

Portability
88
Imaging
35
Features
51
Overall
41
Olympus XZ-1 front
 
Sony Alpha A99 II front
Portability
57
Imaging
77
Features
92
Overall
83

Olympus XZ-1 vs Sony A99 II Key Specs

Olympus XZ-1
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/1.63" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-112mm (F1.8-2.5) lens
  • 275g - 111 x 65 x 42mm
  • Released January 2011
Sony A99 II
(Full Review)
  • 42MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 100 - 25600 (Push to 102400)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 849g - 143 x 104 x 76mm
  • Introduced September 2016
  • Superseded the Sony A99
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Olympus XZ-1 vs Sony A99 II Overview

Following is a in depth overview of the Olympus XZ-1 and Sony A99 II, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Advanced DSLR by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. There is a large difference between the resolutions of the XZ-1 (10MP) and A99 II (42MP) and the XZ-1 (1/1.63") and A99 II (Full frame) enjoy totally different sensor sizing.

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The XZ-1 was brought out 6 years earlier than the A99 II which is quite a serious difference as far as tech is concerned. Both of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus XZ-1 being a Compact camera and the Sony A99 II being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before getting straight into a more detailed comparison, below is a concise highlight of how the XZ-1 scores against the A99 II in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus XZ-1 over the Sony A99 II

 XZ-1 A99 II 

Reasons to pick Sony A99 II over the Olympus XZ-1

 A99 II XZ-1 
IntroducedSeptember 2016January 2011More modern by 68 months
Display typeFully articulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Display resolution1229k614kCrisper display (+615k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Common features in the Olympus XZ-1 and Sony A99 II

 XZ-1 A99 II 
Manually focus More exact focusing
Display dimension3"3"Identical display measurement
Touch friendly display Lacking Touch friendly display

Olympus XZ-1 vs Sony A99 II Physical Comparison

If you're planning to carry around your camera regularly, you'll have to factor its weight and size. The Olympus XZ-1 comes with physical measurements of 111mm x 65mm x 42mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.7") having a weight of 275 grams (0.61 lbs) while the Sony A99 II has specifications of 143mm x 104mm x 76mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.0") having a weight of 849 grams (1.87 lbs).

Check the Olympus XZ-1 and Sony A99 II in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you choose at that time. Here is the front view measurement comparison of the XZ-1 vs the A99 II.

Olympus XZ-1 vs Sony A99 II size comparison

Using size and weight, the portability grade of the XZ-1 and A99 II is 88 and 57 respectively.

Olympus XZ-1 vs Sony A99 II top view buttons comparison

Olympus XZ-1 vs Sony A99 II Sensor Comparison

In many cases, it is very hard to see the contrast between sensor sizes purely by reading specs. The image below might offer you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the XZ-1 and A99 II.

All in all, the 2 cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The XZ-1 due to its tinier sensor will make getting shallower depth of field trickier and the Sony A99 II will offer you greater detail having its extra 32MP. Greater resolution can also enable you to crop pics much more aggressively. The more aged XZ-1 is going to be behind in sensor innovation.

Olympus XZ-1 vs Sony A99 II sensor size comparison

Olympus XZ-1 vs Sony A99 II Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus XZ-1 vs Sony A99 II Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus XZ-1 Portrait photography features
Sony A99 II Portrait photography features
45
focusing manually
offers face detection focus
saves RAW files
MP count low (10MP)
tiny sensor size (1/1.63")
86
focusing manually
MP count fantastic (42 megapixels)
great sensor size (Full frame)
has face detection autofocus
delivers RAW formats
Photography Glossary

Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus XZ-1
Street photography with Sony A99 II
59
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
saves RAW files
screen does not articulate
tiny sensor size (1/1.63")
heavier than average in class (275g)
76
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
great sensor size (Full frame)
delivers RAW formats
weather sealing
good high ISO (25,600)
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus XZ-1
Sports photography with Sony A99 II
38
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
offers tracking autofocus
good battery (320 per charge)
continuous shooting slow (2.0 fps)
MP count low (10 megapixels)
tiny sensor size (1/1.63")
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
82
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000 seconds)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count fantastic (42MP)
great sensor size (Full frame)
has tracking autofocus
weather sealing
has phase detect autofocus
low battery life (490 CIPA)
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus XZ-1
Travel photography with Sony A99 II
62
good battery (320 shots)
has built in flash
rather wide (28mm)
good maximum aperture (f1.8)
does not have Time Lapse function
heavier than average in class (275 grams)
MP count low (10MP)
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
70
weather sealing
supports bluetooth
MP count fantastic (42 megapixels)
display is selfie friendly
low battery life (490 shots)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus XZ-1 Landscape photography information
Sony A99 II Landscape photography information
54
focusing manually
rather wide (28mm)
good maximum aperture (f1.8)
decent sized screen (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
saves RAW files
good battery (320 per charge)
cannot change lenses (fixed lens mount)
MP count low (10MP)
tiny sensor size (1/1.63")
does not have Time Lapse function
82
focusing manually
switch lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count fantastic (42MP)
great sensor size (Full frame)
no anti-alias filter
good high ISO (25,600)
delivers RAW formats
weather sealing
has dual storage slots
low battery life (490 shots)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus XZ-1 Vlogging highlights
Sony A99 II Vlogging highlights
31
rather wide (28mm)
good maximum aperture (f1.8)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
offers face detection focus
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
video res low (1280 x 720 pixels)
does not have external mic jack
heavier than average in class (275g)
78
display is selfie friendly
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
has face detection autofocus
high res video (3840 x 2160 resolution)
has external microphone jack
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Olympus XZ-1 vs Sony A99 II Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus XZ-1 and Sony A99 II
 Olympus XZ-1Sony Alpha A99 II
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus XZ-1 Sony Alpha A99 II
Category Small Sensor Compact Advanced DSLR
Released 2011-01-26 2016-09-19
Body design Compact Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic V Bionz X
Sensor type CCD BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/1.63" Full frame
Sensor measurements 8.07 x 5.56mm 35.9 x 24mm
Sensor area 44.9mm² 861.6mm²
Sensor resolution 10 megapixels 42 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 3664 x 2752 7952 x 5304
Maximum native ISO 6400 25600
Maximum enhanced ISO - 102400
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW photos
Minimum enhanced ISO - 50
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 11 399
Cross type focus points - 79
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens zoom range 28-112mm (4.0x) -
Max aperture f/1.8-2.5 -
Macro focusing range 1cm -
Amount of lenses - 143
Crop factor 4.5 1
Screen
Range of display Fixed Type Fully articulated
Display size 3" 3"
Resolution of display 614k dot 1,229k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Display tech OLED -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359k dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.78x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/8000 secs
Continuous shutter speed 2.0 frames/s 12.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 8.60 m (ISO 800) no built-in flash
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in Off, auto, fill, slow sync, redeye reduction, rear sync, high-speed sync, wireless
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash sync - 1/250 secs
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) -
Maximum video resolution 1280x720 3840x2160
Video file format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 275 gr (0.61 pounds) 849 gr (1.87 pounds)
Dimensions 111 x 65 x 42mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.7") 143 x 104 x 76mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.0")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 34 92
DXO Color Depth rating 18.8 25.4
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.4 13.4
DXO Low light rating 117 2317
Other
Battery life 320 pictures 490 pictures
Type of battery Battery Pack NP-FM500H lithium-ion battery & charger
Battery ID Li-50B -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2, 5, 10 secs)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC/MS Duo slots
Storage slots One Dual
Price at release $567 $3,198