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Olympus XZ-1 vs Sony A300

Portability
88
Imaging
35
Features
51
Overall
41
Olympus XZ-1 front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A300 front
Portability
64
Imaging
49
Features
45
Overall
47

Olympus XZ-1 vs Sony A300 Key Specs

Olympus XZ-1
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/1.63" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • 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 A300
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 2.7" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 632g - 131 x 99 x 75mm
  • Introduced January 2008
  • Successor is Sony A330
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Olympus XZ-1 vs Sony A300 Overview

Below, we are analyzing the Olympus XZ-1 vs Sony A300, one is a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. The image resolution of the XZ-1 (10MP) and the A300 (10MP) is very close but the XZ-1 (1/1.63") and A300 (APS-C) come with different sensor measurements.

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The XZ-1 was introduced 3 years after the A300 which is a fairly serious gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus XZ-1 being a Compact camera and the Sony A300 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before going in to a more detailed comparison, below is a brief summary of how the XZ-1 matches up against the A300 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus XZ-1 over the Sony A300

 XZ-1 A300 
IntroducedJanuary 2011January 2008More modern by 37 months
Display dimension3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution614k230kClearer display (+384k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony A300 over the Olympus XZ-1

 A300 XZ-1 
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display

Common features in the Olympus XZ-1 and Sony A300

 XZ-1 A300 
Manually focus More exact focus
Selfie screen Neither comes with selfie screen
Touch friendly display Neither comes with Touch friendly display

Olympus XZ-1 vs Sony A300 Physical Comparison

In case you're intending to carry around your camera, you will have to think about its weight and volume. The Olympus XZ-1 comes with external measurements of 111mm x 65mm x 42mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.7") and a weight of 275 grams (0.61 lbs) while the Sony A300 has sizing of 131mm x 99mm x 75mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0") having a weight of 632 grams (1.39 lbs).

Check the Olympus XZ-1 vs Sony A300 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you have at that moment. The following is the front view sizing comparison of the XZ-1 against the A300.

Olympus XZ-1 vs Sony A300 size comparison

Considering size and weight, the portability score of the XZ-1 and A300 is 88 and 64 respectively.

Olympus XZ-1 vs Sony A300 top view buttons comparison

Olympus XZ-1 vs Sony A300 Sensor Comparison

Usually, it's tough to visualize the difference in sensor sizes only by viewing a spec sheet. The image below might provide you a better sense of the sensor sizing in the XZ-1 and A300.

Clearly, both of these cameras have got the exact same resolution but different sensor sizes. The XZ-1 uses the smaller sensor which is going to make obtaining shallower DOF more challenging. The more modern XZ-1 provides an edge in sensor technology.

Olympus XZ-1 vs Sony A300 sensor size comparison

Olympus XZ-1 vs Sony A300 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus XZ-1 vs Sony A300 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus XZ-1 Portrait photography features
Sony A300 Portrait photography features
45
manual focus
has face detect focus
delivers RAW formats
megapixel count low (10MP)
sensor is very small (1/1.63")
59
manual focus
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
supports RAW files
low megapixels (10MP)
Photography Glossary

Street Comparison

Olympus XZ-1 as a Street photography camera
Sony A300 as a Street photography camera
59
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
delivers RAW formats
no articulating screen
sensor is very small (1/1.63")
more heavy than competitors (275g)
74
screen tilts up and down
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
supports RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus XZ-1
Sports photography with Sony A300
38
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
has tracking focus
great battery life (320 CIPA)
max frames per second low (2.0 fps)
megapixel count low (10MP)
sensor is very small (1/1.63")
has no phase detect auto focus
54
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
sensor has phase detect AF
max frames per second low (3.0 fps)
low megapixels (10 megapixels)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus XZ-1 Travel photography details
Sony A300 Travel photography details
62
great battery life (320 per charge)
built-in flash
reasonably wide (28mm)
great max aperture (f1.8)
missing Timelapse mode
more heavy than competitors (275g)
megapixel count low (10MP)
does not offer selfie friendly screen
45
built-in flash
doesn't have Timelapse function
low megapixels (10MP)
screen isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus XZ-1 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony A300 as a Landscape photography camera
54
manual focus
reasonably wide (28mm)
great max aperture (f1.8)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
delivers RAW formats
great battery life (320 shots)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
megapixel count low (10MP)
sensor is very small (1/1.63")
missing Timelapse mode
57
manual focus
change lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
supports RAW files
small screen (2.7")
low megapixels (10 megapixels)
doesn't have Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus XZ-1 Vlogging features
Sony A300 Vlogging features
31
reasonably wide (28mm)
great max aperture (f1.8)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
has face detect focus
does not offer selfie friendly screen
video quality not great (1280 x 720 resolution)
missing microphone support
more heavy than competitors (275 grams)
9
can't record video
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Olympus XZ-1 vs Sony A300 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus XZ-1 and Sony A300
 Olympus XZ-1Sony Alpha DSLR-A300
General Information
Company Olympus Sony
Model Olympus XZ-1 Sony Alpha DSLR-A300
Category Small Sensor Compact Entry-Level DSLR
Released 2011-01-26 2008-01-30
Body design Compact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic V -
Sensor type CCD CCD
Sensor size 1/1.63" APS-C
Sensor measurements 8.07 x 5.56mm 23.6 x 15.8mm
Sensor surface area 44.9mm² 372.9mm²
Sensor resolution 10 megapixels 10 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 -
Peak resolution 3664 x 2752 3872 x 2592
Highest native ISO 6400 3200
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Number of focus points 11 9
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens focal range 28-112mm (4.0x) -
Maximum aperture f/1.8-2.5 -
Macro focus distance 1cm -
Available lenses - 143
Crop factor 4.5 1.5
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Tilting
Screen size 3" 2.7"
Screen resolution 614 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Screen tech OLED -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder coverage - 95%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.49x
Features
Min shutter speed 60s 30s
Max shutter speed 1/2000s 1/4000s
Continuous shutter speed 2.0 frames/s 3.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 8.60 m (ISO 800) 12.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in Auto, Red-Eye, Slow, Red-Eye Slow, Rear curtain, wireless
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) -
Highest video resolution 1280x720 None
Video data format Motion JPEG -
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 275 grams (0.61 lbs) 632 grams (1.39 lbs)
Dimensions 111 x 65 x 42mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.7") 131 x 99 x 75mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 34 64
DXO Color Depth score 18.8 22.5
DXO Dynamic range score 10.4 11.4
DXO Low light score 117 538
Other
Battery life 320 images -
Form of battery Battery Pack -
Battery model Li-50B -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC Compact Flash
Storage slots Single Single
Price at release $567 $0