Olympus XZ-1 vs Sony HX1

Below is a in depth review of the Olympus XZ-1 versus Sony HX1, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by companies Olympus and Sony. The sensor resolution of the XZ-1 (10MP) and the HX1 (9MP) is pretty similar but the XZ-1 (1/1.63") and HX1 (1/2.4") posses totally different sensor dimensions.

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The XZ-1 was unveiled 22 months later than the HX1 which makes them a generation apart from each other. Each of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus XZ-1 being a Compact camera and the Sony HX1 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before delving into a comprehensive comparison, here is a brief view of how the XZ-1 matches up versus the HX1 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus XZ-1 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX1. The full galleries are viewable at Olympus XZ-1 Gallery & Sony HX1 Gallery.

For anybody who is planning to lug around your camera frequently, you should take into account its weight and proportions. The Olympus XZ-1 has outside dimensions of 111mm x 65mm x 42mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.7") along with a weight of 275 grams (0.61 lbs) and the Sony HX1 has measurements of 115mm x 83mm x 92mm (4.5" x 3.3" x 3.6") along with a weight of 544 grams (1.20 lbs).

Check out the Olympus XZ-1 versus Sony HX1 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you use at that moment. Here is a front view over all size comparison of the XZ-1 against the HX1.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability grade of the XZ-1 and HX1 is 88 and 67 respectively.

Usually, it can be hard to see the contrast between sensor measurements simply by reading technical specs. The photograph underneath should provide you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the XZ-1 and HX1.

As you can tell, both the cameras feature different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The XZ-1 with its bigger sensor will make getting shallow DOF simpler and the Olympus XZ-1 will offer you greater detail having an extra 1MP. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop pictures way more aggressively. The fresher XZ-1 will have an advantage with regard to sensor tech.