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Olympus XZ-1 vs Sony RX100 IV

Portability
88
Imaging
35
Features
51
Overall
41
Olympus XZ-1 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 IV front
Portability
89
Imaging
52
Features
79
Overall
62

Olympus XZ-1 vs Sony RX100 IV 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
  • Launched January 2011
Sony RX100 IV
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 125 - 12800 (Bump to 25600)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • 24-70mm (F1.8-2.8) lens
  • 298g - 102 x 58 x 41mm
  • Revealed June 2015
  • Succeeded the Sony RX100 III
  • Updated by Sony RX100 V
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Olympus XZ-1 vs Sony RX100 IV Overview

Lets take a deeper look at the Olympus XZ-1 and Sony RX100 IV, one is a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Large Sensor Compact by competitors Olympus and Sony. There exists a big gap between the resolutions of the XZ-1 (10MP) and RX100 IV (20MP) and the XZ-1 (1/1.63") and RX100 IV (1") offer totally different sensor size.

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The XZ-1 was revealed 5 years prior to the RX100 IV which is quite a big gap as far as technology is concerned. Both the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus XZ-1 being a Compact camera and the Sony RX100 IV being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before getting straight to a detailed comparison, here is a short summation of how the XZ-1 scores against the RX100 IV when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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

 XZ-1 RX100 IV 

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

 RX100 IV XZ-1 
RevealedJune 2015January 2011Newer by 53 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution1229k614kCrisper screen (+615k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies

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

 XZ-1 RX100 IV 
Manual focus Very exact focus
Screen size3"3"Same screen size
Touch friendly screen No Touch friendly screen

Olympus XZ-1 vs Sony RX100 IV Physical Comparison

For anybody who is going to travel with your camera frequently, you will need to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Olympus XZ-1 offers outer measurements of 111mm x 65mm x 42mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.7") accompanied by a weight of 275 grams (0.61 lbs) and the Sony RX100 IV has dimensions of 102mm x 58mm x 41mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.6") along with a weight of 298 grams (0.66 lbs).

Compare the Olympus XZ-1 and Sony RX100 IV in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you choose at the time. Underneath is a front view size comparison of the XZ-1 versus the RX100 IV.

Olympus XZ-1 vs Sony RX100 IV size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the XZ-1 and RX100 IV is 88 and 89 respectively.

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

Olympus XZ-1 vs Sony RX100 IV Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it is very tough to visualise the difference between sensor dimensions simply by reviewing specs. The picture here should provide you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the XZ-1 and RX100 IV.

All in all, the two cameras feature different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The XZ-1 using its tinier sensor will make getting shallower depth of field harder and the Sony RX100 IV will deliver more detail because of its extra 10 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop pictures way more aggressively. The more aged XZ-1 is going to be behind with regard to sensor innovation.

Olympus XZ-1 vs Sony RX100 IV sensor size comparison

Olympus XZ-1 vs Sony RX100 IV Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus XZ-1 vs Sony RX100 IV Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus XZ-1
Portrait photography with Sony RX100 IV
45
you can focus manually
includes face detection focusing
saves RAW formats
megapixel count low (10 megapixels)
very small sensor (1/1.63")
65
you can focus manually
flash sync is higher than normal (1/2,000s)
megapixel count decent (20 megapixels)
nice sensor size (1")
offers face detection focus
delivers RAW files
can't use external flash
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus XZ-1
Street photography with Sony RX100 IV
59
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
saves RAW formats
screen does not articulate
very small sensor (1/1.63")
heavier than average (275g)
85
screen tilts up and down
has image stabilization (Optical)
nice sensor size (1")
delivers RAW files
lighter than competitors in class (298 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus XZ-1
Sports photography with Sony RX100 IV
38
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
includes tracking autofocus
good battery (320 CIPA)
max frames per second very slow (2.0 frames per second)
megapixel count low (10MP)
very small sensor (1/1.63")
does not have phase detect AF
68
silent mode (1/32,000s)
high max fps (16.0 frames per second)
has image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count decent (20MP)
nice sensor size (1")
offers tracking autofocus
has no phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus XZ-1 Travel photography factors
Sony RX100 IV Travel photography factors
62
good battery (320 per charge)
built-in flash
decently wide (28mm)
great max aperture (f1.8)
missing Time Lapse function
heavier than average (275 grams)
megapixel count low (10 megapixels)
display is not selfie friendly
86
lighter than competitors in class (298g)
megapixel count decent (20MP)
built-in flash
display is selfie friendly
pretty wide (24mm)
very good maximum aperture (f1.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus XZ-1 Landscape photography factors
Sony RX100 IV Landscape photography factors
54
you can focus manually
decently wide (28mm)
great max aperture (f1.8)
screen size is good (3")
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
saves RAW formats
good battery (320 per charge)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
megapixel count low (10MP)
very small sensor (1/1.63")
missing Time Lapse function
74
you can focus manually
pretty wide (24mm)
very good maximum aperture (f1.8)
screen size is decent (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count decent (20 megapixels)
nice sensor size (1")
delivers RAW files
cannot switch lenses (fixed lens mount)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus XZ-1 Vlogging highlights
Sony RX100 IV Vlogging highlights
31
decently wide (28mm)
great max aperture (f1.8)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
includes face detection focusing
display is not selfie friendly
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pxls)
missing external mic support
heavier than average (275 grams)
81
pretty wide (24mm)
very good maximum aperture (f1.8)
display is selfie friendly
has image stabilization (Optical)
offers face detection focus
high quality video (3840 x 2160 pxls)
lighter than competitors in class (298g)
doesn't have external mic port
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Olympus XZ-1 vs Sony RX100 IV Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus XZ-1 and Sony RX100 IV
 Olympus XZ-1Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 IV
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Sony
Model Olympus XZ-1 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 IV
Class Small Sensor Compact Large Sensor Compact
Launched 2011-01-26 2015-06-10
Body design Compact Large Sensor Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic V Bionz X
Sensor type CCD BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/1.63" 1"
Sensor dimensions 8.07 x 5.56mm 13.2 x 8.8mm
Sensor area 44.9mm² 116.2mm²
Sensor resolution 10 megapixels 20 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 3664 x 2752 5472 x 3648
Highest native ISO 6400 12800
Highest enhanced ISO - 25600
Min native ISO 100 125
RAW photos
Min enhanced ISO - 80
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Number of focus points 11 25
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 28-112mm (4.0x) 24-70mm (2.9x)
Maximum aperture f/1.8-2.5 f/1.8-2.8
Macro focus distance 1cm 5cm
Focal length multiplier 4.5 2.7
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Tilting
Screen diagonal 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of screen 614 thousand dot 1,229 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Screen technology OLED -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.59x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/2000 secs
Fastest silent shutter speed - 1/32000 secs
Continuous shutter speed 2.0 frames per second 16.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 8.60 m (ISO 800) -
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in -
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash sync - 1/2000 secs
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 3840 x 2160 (30p, 25p, 24p), 1920 x 1080 (60p/60i/24p), 1280 x 720 (60p/30p/24p/120p), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 1280x720 3840x2160
Video file format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Mic jack
Headphone jack
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
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 275g (0.61 lb) 298g (0.66 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 Overall score 34 70
DXO Color Depth score 18.8 22.9
DXO Dynamic range score 10.4 12.6
DXO Low light score 117 562
Other
Battery life 320 photographs 280 photographs
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model Li-50B NP-BX1
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes
Time lapse feature With downloadable app
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots One One
Launch pricing $567 $898