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Olympus XZ-1 vs Sony RX100 III

Portability
88
Imaging
35
Features
51
Overall
41
Olympus XZ-1 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 III front
Portability
89
Imaging
51
Features
77
Overall
61

Olympus XZ-1 vs Sony RX100 III Key Specs

Olympus XZ-1
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/1.63" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-112mm (F1.8-2.5) lens
  • 275g - 111 x 65 x 42mm
  • Released January 2011
Sony RX100 III
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 125 - 12800
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-70mm (F1.8-2.8) lens
  • 290g - 102 x 58 x 41mm
  • Launched May 2014
  • Replaced the Sony RX100 II
  • New Model is Sony RX100 IV
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Olympus XZ-1 vs Sony RX100 III Overview

Its time to take a deeper look at the Olympus XZ-1 versus Sony RX100 III, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Large Sensor Compact by rivals Olympus and Sony. There exists a crucial gap among the sensor resolutions of the XZ-1 (10MP) and RX100 III (20MP) and the XZ-1 (1/1.63") and RX100 III (1") boast totally different sensor dimensions.

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The XZ-1 was manufactured 4 years earlier than the RX100 III and that is a fairly serious gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus XZ-1 being a Compact camera and the Sony RX100 III being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before we go into a comprehensive comparison, here is a simple summary of how the XZ-1 matches up versus the RX100 III in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus XZ-1 over the Sony RX100 III

 XZ-1 RX100 III 

Reasons to pick Sony RX100 III over the Olympus XZ-1

 RX100 III XZ-1 
LaunchedMay 2014January 2011Fresher by 40 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution1229k614kClearer screen (+615k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies

Common features in the Olympus XZ-1 and Sony RX100 III

 XZ-1 RX100 III 
Manually focus Very accurate focusing
Screen size3"3"Same screen sizing
Touch screen Lack of Touch screen

Olympus XZ-1 vs Sony RX100 III Physical Comparison

If you are looking to carry your camera, you have to factor its weight and size. The Olympus XZ-1 has 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) whilst the Sony RX100 III has specifications of 102mm x 58mm x 41mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.6") along with a weight of 290 grams (0.64 lbs).

Check out the Olympus XZ-1 versus Sony RX100 III in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you are employing at that time. Underneath is a front view over all size comparison of the XZ-1 against the RX100 III.

Olympus XZ-1 vs Sony RX100 III size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the XZ-1 and RX100 III is 88 and 89 respectively.

Olympus XZ-1 vs Sony RX100 III top view buttons comparison

Olympus XZ-1 vs Sony RX100 III Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it is very tough to visualise the contrast in sensor sizing just by going through technical specs. The photograph underneath might offer you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the XZ-1 and RX100 III.

As you can tell, the two cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The XZ-1 featuring a smaller sensor will make achieving shallow depth of field harder and the Sony RX100 III will provide more detail due to its extra 10MP. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop shots a good deal more aggressively. The older XZ-1 will be behind when it comes to sensor technology.

Olympus XZ-1 vs Sony RX100 III sensor size comparison

Olympus XZ-1 vs Sony RX100 III Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus XZ-1 vs Sony RX100 III Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus XZ-1 Portrait photography info
Sony RX100 III Portrait photography info
45
has manual focus
comes with face detection focusing
supports RAW formats
low resolution sensor (10 megapixels)
sensor is small (1/1.63")
64
has manual focus
high flash sync (1/2,000s)
decent MP (20MP)
decent sensor size (1")
has face detect focus
exports RAW formats
no external flash support
Photography Glossary

Street Comparison

Olympus XZ-1 Street photography factors
Sony RX100 III Street photography factors
59
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
supports RAW formats
no articulating screen
sensor is small (1/1.63")
more heavy than others in class (275 grams)
85
tilting screen
image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor size (1")
exports RAW formats
lighter than competition (290g)
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus XZ-1
Sports photography with Sony RX100 III
38
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
comes with tracking autofocus
good battery pack (320 shots)
continuous shooting slow (2.0 fps)
low resolution sensor (10MP)
sensor is small (1/1.63")
has no phase detect AF
65
image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (20 megapixels)
decent sensor size (1")
has tracking focus
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus XZ-1 Travel photography information
Sony RX100 III Travel photography information
62
good battery pack (320 shots)
built-in flash
really wide (28mm)
great max aperture (f1.8)
doesn't have Timelapse function
more heavy than others in class (275g)
low resolution sensor (10 megapixels)
does not have a selfie friendly screen
85
lighter than competition (290 grams)
decent MP (20 megapixels)
has built in flash
screen is selfie friendly
really wide (24mm)
good max aperture (f1.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus XZ-1 Landscape photography features
Sony RX100 III Landscape photography features
54
has manual focus
really wide (28mm)
great max aperture (f1.8)
screen size is decent (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
supports RAW formats
good battery pack (320 shots)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
low resolution sensor (10 megapixels)
sensor is small (1/1.63")
doesn't have Timelapse function
73
has manual focus
really wide (24mm)
good max aperture (f1.8)
pretty good screen size (3")
image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (20 megapixels)
decent sensor size (1")
exports RAW formats
can't switch lenses (fixed lens mount)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus XZ-1 Vlogging advice
Sony RX100 III Vlogging advice
31
really wide (28mm)
great max aperture (f1.8)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
comes with face detection focusing
does not have a selfie friendly screen
video resolution low (1280 x 720 pixels)
doesn't have external microphone support
more heavy than others in class (275g)
80
really wide (24mm)
good max aperture (f1.8)
screen is selfie friendly
image stabilization (Optical)
has face detect focus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
lighter than competition (290 grams)
lack of microphone jack
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Olympus XZ-1 vs Sony RX100 III Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus XZ-1 and Sony RX100 III
 Olympus XZ-1Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 III
General Information
Company Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus XZ-1 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 III
Type Small Sensor Compact Large Sensor Compact
Released 2011-01-26 2014-05-15
Body design Compact Large Sensor Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic V Bionz X
Sensor type CCD BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/1.63" 1"
Sensor measurements 8.07 x 5.56mm 13.2 x 8.8mm
Sensor surface area 44.9mm² 116.2mm²
Sensor resolution 10 megapixel 20 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 3664 x 2752 5472 x 3648
Maximum native ISO 6400 12800
Minimum native ISO 100 125
RAW files
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Total focus points 11 25
Lens
Lens support fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 28-112mm (4.0x) 24-70mm (2.9x)
Max aperture f/1.8-2.5 f/1.8-2.8
Macro focusing range 1cm 5cm
Crop factor 4.5 2.7
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Tilting
Screen sizing 3 inch 3 inch
Screen resolution 614 thousand dot 1,229 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Screen tech OLED -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,440 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.59x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/2000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 2.0 frames per sec 10.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 8.60 m (ISO 800) -
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in -
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Highest flash sync - 1/2000 secs
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60p/60i/24p), 1280 x 720 (60p/30p/24p/120p), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 275 gr (0.61 lb) 290 gr (0.64 lb)
Physical dimensions 111 x 65 x 42mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.7") 102 x 58 x 41mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.6")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 34 67
DXO Color Depth rating 18.8 22.4
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.4 12.3
DXO Low light rating 117 495
Other
Battery life 320 photos 320 photos
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID Li-50B NP-BX1
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, self-portrait, continuous)
Time lapse feature With downloadable app
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots 1 1
Price at launch $567 $748