Olympus XZ-1 vs Sony RX10 IV

On this page, we will be looking at the Olympus XZ-1 versus Sony RX10 IV, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Large Sensor Superzoom by competitors Olympus and Sony. There exists a noticeable gap between the image resolutions of the XZ-1 (10MP) and RX10 IV (20MP) and the XZ-1 (1/1.63") and RX10 IV (1") boast different sensor sizes.

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The XZ-1 was announced 7 years earlier than the RX10 IV and that is quite a sizable difference as far as technology is concerned. Both the cameras have different body design with the Olympus XZ-1 being a Compact camera and the Sony RX10 IV being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before getting into a thorough comparison, here is a brief view of how the XZ-1 scores vs the RX10 IV in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

This is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus XZ-1 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 IV. The whole galleries are viewable at Olympus XZ-1 Gallery & Sony RX10 IV Gallery.

For those who are intending to carry your camera often, you'll need to factor its weight and dimensions. The Olympus XZ-1 has exterior measurements 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 RX10 IV has dimensions of 133mm x 94mm x 145mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 5.7") with a weight of 1095 grams (2.41 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus XZ-1 versus Sony RX10 IV in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you choose at that time. The following is a front view sizing comparison of the XZ-1 vs the RX10 IV.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the XZ-1 and RX10 IV is 88 and 52 respectively.

Quite often, it is very hard to imagine the gap between sensor sizing merely by checking specifications. The photograph below will provide you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the XZ-1 and RX10 IV.

To sum up, each of the cameras have different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The XZ-1 with its tinier sensor is going to make getting bokeh tougher and the Sony RX10 IV will give you extra detail with its extra 10 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop pictures a bit more aggressively. The older XZ-1 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor technology.