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Olympus XZ-1 vs Sony HX300

Portability
88
Imaging
35
Features
51
Overall
41
Olympus XZ-1 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX300 front
Portability
63
Imaging
44
Features
51
Overall
46

Olympus XZ-1 vs Sony HX300 Key Specs

Olympus XZ-1
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/1.63" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-112mm (F1.8-2.5) lens
  • 275g - 111 x 65 x 42mm
  • Introduced January 2011
Sony HX300
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 80 - 12800
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-1200mm (F2.8-6.3) lens
  • 623g - 130 x 103 x 93mm
  • Introduced February 2013
  • Superseded the Sony HX200V
  • Later Model is Sony HX400V
Photography Glossary

Olympus XZ-1 vs Sony HX300 Overview

Following is a extended analysis of the Olympus XZ-1 vs Sony HX300, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. There is a large difference between the sensor resolutions of the XZ-1 (10MP) and HX300 (20MP) and the XZ-1 (1/1.63") and HX300 (1/2.3") have totally different sensor measurements.

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The XZ-1 was released 3 years earlier than the HX300 which is quite a serious difference as far as tech is concerned. Both of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus XZ-1 being a Compact camera and the Sony HX300 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before we go into a step-by-step comparison, here is a short introduction of how the XZ-1 scores vs the HX300 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus XZ-1 over the Sony HX300

 XZ-1 HX300 

Reasons to pick Sony HX300 over the Olympus XZ-1

 HX300 XZ-1 
IntroducedFebruary 2013January 2011More modern by 25 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution921k614kSharper screen (+307k dot)

Common features in the Olympus XZ-1 and Sony HX300

 XZ-1 HX300 
Manually focus Very exact focusing
Screen size3"3"Same screen measurements
Selfie screen Absent selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Absent Touch friendly screen

Olympus XZ-1 vs Sony HX300 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is looking to carry around your camera frequently, you have to think about its weight and size. The Olympus XZ-1 has got physical 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 HX300 has specifications of 130mm x 103mm x 93mm (5.1" x 4.1" x 3.7") having a weight of 623 grams (1.37 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus XZ-1 vs Sony HX300 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you choose at that moment. Following is a front view dimensions comparison of the XZ-1 versus the HX300.

Olympus XZ-1 vs Sony HX300 size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability grade of the XZ-1 and HX300 is 88 and 63 respectively.

Olympus XZ-1 vs Sony HX300 top view buttons comparison

Olympus XZ-1 vs Sony HX300 Sensor Comparison

Generally, it's difficult to visualise the difference between sensor sizes only by going over a spec sheet. The picture here will provide you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the XZ-1 and HX300.

As you can see, both of those cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The XZ-1 featuring a bigger sensor will make getting shallow DOF less difficult and the Sony HX300 will deliver extra detail as a result of its extra 10MP. Higher resolution can also help you crop photographs a good deal more aggressively. The more aged XZ-1 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus XZ-1 vs Sony HX300 sensor size comparison

Olympus XZ-1 vs Sony HX300 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus XZ-1 vs Sony HX300 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus XZ-1 Portrait photography highlights
Sony HX300 Portrait photography highlights
45
you can focus manually
provides face detect focus
saves RAW files
low megapixels (10 megapixels)
sensor is tiny (1/1.63")
42
focusing manually
good resolution (20MP)
external flash not possible
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus XZ-1 Street photography features
Sony HX300 Street photography features
59
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
saves RAW files
no moving screen
sensor is tiny (1/1.63")
heavier than competition (275 grams)
50
screen tilts
has image stabilization (Optical)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
more heavy than average in class (623g)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus XZ-1 Sports photography advice
Sony HX300 Sports photography advice
38
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
provides tracking focus
great battery (320 CIPA)
low fps (2.0 frames per second)
low megapixels (10 megapixels)
sensor is tiny (1/1.63")
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
55
long zoom range (24-1200mm 50.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Optical)
good resolution (20 megapixels)
provides tracking autofocus
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus XZ-1 Travel photography advice
Sony HX300 Travel photography advice
62
great battery (320 shots)
has built in flash
fairly wide (28mm)
great maximum aperture (f1.8)
lack of Time Lapse mode
heavier than competition (275g)
low megapixels (10MP)
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
54
good resolution (20MP)
built-in flash
quite wide (24mm)
long reach (1200mm)
does not have Timelapse function
more heavy than average in class (623g)
does not offer selfie friendly display
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus XZ-1 Landscape photography information
Sony HX300 Landscape photography information
54
you can focus manually
fairly wide (28mm)
great maximum aperture (f1.8)
screen is a good size (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
saves RAW files
great battery (320 CIPA)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
low megapixels (10 megapixels)
sensor is tiny (1/1.63")
lack of Time Lapse mode
48
focusing manually
quite wide (24mm)
screen is a good size (3")
has image stabilization (Optical)
good resolution (20 megapixels)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
does not have Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus XZ-1 as a Vlogging camera
Sony HX300 as a Vlogging camera
31
fairly wide (28mm)
great maximum aperture (f1.8)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
provides face detect focus
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
video res low (1280 x 720 resolution)
lack of mic support
heavier than competition (275 grams)
25
quite wide (24mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
good video quality (1920 x 1080 pixels)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
does not offer selfie friendly display
does not have external microphone support
more heavy than average in class (623g)
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Olympus XZ-1 vs Sony HX300 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus XZ-1 and Sony HX300
 Olympus XZ-1Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX300
General Information
Company Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus XZ-1 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX300
Type Small Sensor Compact Small Sensor Superzoom
Introduced 2011-01-26 2013-02-20
Physical type Compact SLR-like (bridge)
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic V -
Sensor type CCD BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/1.63" 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 8.07 x 5.56mm 6.16 x 4.62mm
Sensor surface area 44.9mm² 28.5mm²
Sensor resolution 10MP 20MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 -
Peak resolution 3664 x 2752 5184 x 3888
Highest native ISO 6400 12800
Min native ISO 100 80
RAW files
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points 11 9
Lens
Lens support fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 28-112mm (4.0x) 24-1200mm (50.0x)
Max aperture f/1.8-2.5 f/2.8-6.3
Macro focusing range 1cm -
Crop factor 4.5 5.8
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Tilting
Display sizing 3" 3"
Resolution of display 614 thousand dots 921 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Display tech OLED -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) Electronic
Features
Min shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shutter rate 2.0 frames per second 10.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 8.60 m (ISO 800) -
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in -
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60, 50 fps)
Highest video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video file format Motion JPEG -
Microphone support
Headphone support
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 sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 275g (0.61 pounds) 623g (1.37 pounds)
Physical dimensions 111 x 65 x 42mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.7") 130 x 103 x 93mm (5.1" x 4.1" x 3.7")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 34 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 18.8 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.4 not tested
DXO Low light rating 117 not tested
Other
Battery life 320 images -
Type of battery Battery Pack -
Battery ID Li-50B -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) -
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC -
Card slots 1 1
Price at release $567 $339