Olympus XZ-1 vs Sony HX90V

On this page, we are comparing the Olympus XZ-1 vs Sony HX90V, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by competitors Olympus and Sony. There exists a big gap between the sensor resolutions of the XZ-1 (10MP) and HX90V (18MP) and the XZ-1 (1/1.63") and HX90V (1/2.3") offer totally different sensor sizing.

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The XZ-1 was manufactured 5 years earlier than the HX90V and that is quite a big gap as far as technology is concerned. Both cameras have the same body design (Compact).

Before we go into a full comparison, here is a simple summation of how the XZ-1 matches up vs the HX90V in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus XZ-1 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX90V. The entire galleries are viewable at Olympus XZ-1 Gallery and Sony HX90V Gallery.

In case you're intending to lug around your camera frequently, you are going to need to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Olympus XZ-1 provides external dimensions of 111mm x 65mm x 42mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.7") and a weight of 275 grams (0.61 lbs) whilst the Sony HX90V has dimensions of 102mm x 58mm x 36mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.4") along with a weight of 245 grams (0.54 lbs).

See the Olympus XZ-1 vs Sony HX90V in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you select at that time. Following is a front view physical size comparison of the XZ-1 and the HX90V.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability score of the XZ-1 and HX90V is 88 and 91 respectively.

More often than not, it is difficult to visualise the contrast between sensor measurements merely by going over specs. The visual below may give you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the XZ-1 and HX90V.

All in all, each of the cameras have different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The XZ-1 because of its larger sensor will make getting shallower DOF less difficult and the Sony HX90V will offer you greater detail due to its extra 8 Megapixels. Greater resolution will allow you to crop photos a bit more aggressively. The older XZ-1 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.