Olympus XZ-1 vs Sony HX400V

Lets take a closer look at the Olympus XZ-1 and Sony HX400V, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. There is a crucial difference among the sensor resolutions of the XZ-1 (10MP) and HX400V (20MP) and the XZ-1 (1/1.63") and HX400V (1/2.3") boast totally different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The XZ-1 was introduced 4 years earlier than the HX400V and that is a fairly serious gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus XZ-1 being a Compact camera and the Sony HX400V being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before diving right into a thorough comparison, here is a brief summation of how the XZ-1 grades versus the HX400V with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus XZ-1 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX400V. The whole galleries are viewable at Olympus XZ-1 Gallery and Sony HX400V Gallery.

In case you're aiming to lug around your camera, you will need to consider its weight and proportions. The Olympus XZ-1 has got outer dimensions of 111mm x 65mm x 42mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.7") with a weight of 275 grams (0.61 lbs) and the Sony HX400V has measurements of 130mm x 93mm x 103mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 4.1") having a weight of 660 grams (1.46 lbs).

Check the Olympus XZ-1 and Sony HX400V in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you are using at that time. The following is a front view proportions comparison of the XZ-1 compared to the HX400V.

Using size and weight, the portability grade of the XZ-1 and HX400V is 88 and 62 respectively.

Often, its difficult to envision the difference in sensor measurements merely by seeing a spec sheet. The photograph underneath will give you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the XZ-1 and HX400V.

As you can see, each of these cameras feature different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The XZ-1 having a bigger sensor will make shooting shallow depth of field simpler and the Sony HX400V will provide more detail using its extra 10 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop shots way more aggressively. The older XZ-1 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.