Olympus XZ-1 vs Sony NEX-F3

Its time to take a more detailed look at the Olympus XZ-1 and Sony NEX-F3, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by rivals Olympus and Sony. There is a considerable difference among the image resolutions of the XZ-1 (10MP) and NEX-F3 (16MP) and the XZ-1 (1/1.63") and NEX-F3 (APS-C) use totally different sensor size.

Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

The XZ-1 was manufactured 18 months before the NEX-F3 which makes the cameras a generation away from each other. Both of the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus XZ-1 being a Compact camera and the Sony NEX-F3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting in to a complete comparison, below is a simple summary of how the XZ-1 matches up vs the NEX-F3 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus XZ-1 & Sony Alpha NEX-F3. The entire galleries are available at Olympus XZ-1 Gallery & Sony NEX-F3 Gallery.

For those who are aiming to travel with your camera often, you will want to think about its weight and measurements. The Olympus XZ-1 enjoys outer dimensions 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 NEX-F3 has proportions of 117mm x 67mm x 42mm (4.6" x 2.6" x 1.7") and a weight of 314 grams (0.69 lbs).

See the Olympus XZ-1 and Sony NEX-F3 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you select at that moment. Underneath is the front view scale comparison of the XZ-1 and the NEX-F3.

Using size and weight, the portability score of the XZ-1 and NEX-F3 is 88 and 86 respectively.

In many cases, it is tough to envision the difference in sensor dimensions just by looking through specifications. The picture underneath should provide you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the XZ-1 and NEX-F3.

To sum up, each of these cameras offer different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The XZ-1 because of its smaller sensor will make achieving shallow DOF harder and the Sony NEX-F3 will provide you with more detail due to its extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution will allow you to crop pictures a little more aggressively. The more aged XZ-1 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.