Olympus XZ-1 vs Sony A100

Below, we are reviewing the Olympus XZ-1 versus Sony A100, one is a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. The sensor resolution of the XZ-1 (10MP) and the A100 (10MP) is fairly well matched but the XZ-1 (1/1.63") and A100 (APS-C) use different sensor dimensions.

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The XZ-1 was unveiled 4 years after the A100 which is quite a large gap as far as technology is concerned. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus XZ-1 being a Compact camera and the Sony A100 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before going straight into a more detailed comparison, below is a short introduction of how the XZ-1 matches up vs the A100 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus XZ-1 and Sony Alpha DSLR-A100. The full galleries are available at Olympus XZ-1 Gallery and Sony A100 Gallery.

If you're going to carry around your camera frequently, you should take into account its weight and proportions. The Olympus XZ-1 comes with external dimensions of 111mm x 65mm x 42mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.7") with a weight of 275 grams (0.61 lbs) and the Sony A100 has measurements of 133mm x 95mm x 71mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 2.8") accompanied by a weight of 638 grams (1.41 lbs).

See the Olympus XZ-1 versus Sony A100 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you are employing at that time. Below is the front view sizing comparison of the XZ-1 compared to the A100.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the XZ-1 and A100 is 88 and 64 respectively.

Normally, its hard to imagine the contrast between sensor sizes purely by checking specs. The picture below might offer you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the XZ-1 and A100.

All in all, the 2 cameras have got the exact same megapixels but different sensor sizes. The XZ-1 contains the tinier sensor which is going to make obtaining shallow depth of field more difficult. The more modern XZ-1 provides an advantage when it comes to sensor innovation.