Olympus XZ-1 vs Sony WX50

The following is a detailed comparison of the Olympus XZ-1 versus Sony WX50, both Small Sensor Compact digital cameras by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. There exists a considerable gap between the sensor resolutions of the XZ-1 (10MP) and WX50 (16MP) and the XZ-1 (1/1.63") and WX50 (1/2.3") have different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The XZ-1 was brought out 12 months before the WX50 so they are of a similar age. Both of these cameras feature the same body design (Compact).

Before diving into a in-depth comparison, here is a concise introduction of how the XZ-1 matches up vs the WX50 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Below is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus XZ-1 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX50. The entire galleries are available at Olympus XZ-1 Gallery & Sony WX50 Gallery.

For those who are planning to travel with your camera regularly, you will need to factor in its weight and proportions. The Olympus XZ-1 has physical 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 WX50 has measurements of 92mm x 52mm x 19mm (3.6" x 2.0" x 0.7") having a weight of 117 grams (0.26 lbs).

Look at the Olympus XZ-1 versus Sony WX50 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you select during that time. Underneath is a front view size comparison of the XZ-1 vs the WX50.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the XZ-1 and WX50 is 88 and 96 respectively.

More often than not, it can be difficult to picture the difference between sensor dimensions only by looking at specifications. The pic here should give you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the XZ-1 and WX50.

To sum up, both of those cameras feature different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The XZ-1 due to its bigger sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF less difficult and the Sony WX50 will resolve extra detail having its extra 6MP. Higher resolution will allow you to crop photographs way more aggressively. The more aged XZ-1 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.