Olympus XZ-1 vs Sony NEX-7

Here, we will be contrasting the Olympus XZ-1 and Sony NEX-7, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Advanced Mirrorless by companies Olympus and Sony. There exists a large gap among the resolutions of the XZ-1 (10MP) and NEX-7 (24MP) and the XZ-1 (1/1.63") and NEX-7 (APS-C) offer totally different sensor sizing.

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The XZ-1 was launched 10 months prior to the NEX-7 which means that they are both of a similar age. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus XZ-1 being a Compact camera and the Sony NEX-7 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting straight to a comprehensive comparison, here is a quick summary of how the XZ-1 grades vs the NEX-7 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus XZ-1 & Sony Alpha NEX-7. The complete galleries are viewable at Olympus XZ-1 Gallery & Sony NEX-7 Gallery.

For anybody who is intending to lug around your camera, you are going to need to think about its weight and proportions. The Olympus XZ-1 has outside measurements of 111mm x 65mm x 42mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.7") having a weight of 275 grams (0.61 lbs) and the Sony NEX-7 has measurements of 120mm x 67mm x 43mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 1.7") accompanied by a weight of 400 grams (0.88 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus XZ-1 and Sony NEX-7 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you are working with at the time. Underneath is a front view measurement comparison of the XZ-1 versus the NEX-7.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the XZ-1 and NEX-7 is 88 and 84 respectively.

Typically, its difficult to see the gap in sensor measurements purely by seeing a spec sheet. The photograph below will offer you a greater sense of the sensor measurements in the XZ-1 and NEX-7.

Clearly, the 2 cameras come with different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The XZ-1 featuring a smaller sensor will make getting shallower depth of field trickier and the Sony NEX-7 will produce greater detail utilizing its extra 14MP. Higher resolution will help you crop shots a good deal more aggressively. The older XZ-1 will be behind in sensor technology.