Olympus XZ-1 vs Sony A99

Lets look a little more in depth at the Olympus XZ-1 and Sony A99, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Advanced DSLR by rivals Olympus and Sony. There is a big difference among the image resolutions of the XZ-1 (10MP) and A99 (24MP) and the XZ-1 (1/1.63") and A99 (Full frame) use totally different sensor sizes.

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The XZ-1 was released 22 months before the A99 making the cameras a generation apart from each other. Both the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus XZ-1 being a Compact camera and the Sony A99 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before getting straight into a in-depth comparison, below is a brief introduction of how the XZ-1 matches up versus the A99 for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus XZ-1 and Sony SLT-A99. The complete galleries are available at Olympus XZ-1 Gallery and Sony A99 Gallery.

For those who are aiming to lug around your camera, you are going to need to consider its weight and dimensions. 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 A99 has dimensions of 147mm x 111mm x 78mm (5.8" x 4.4" x 3.1") along with a weight of 812 grams (1.79 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus XZ-1 and Sony A99 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you choose at the time. The following is the front view scale comparison of the XZ-1 vs the A99.

Looking at size and weight, the portability grade of the XZ-1 and A99 is 88 and 57 respectively.

Usually, it is very difficult to visualise the contrast in sensor measurements merely by seeing specs. The graphic below will give you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the XZ-1 and A99.

As you can plainly see, both of the cameras enjoy different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The XZ-1 due to its smaller sensor will make getting shallow DOF trickier and the Sony A99 will provide greater detail as a result of its extra 14 Megapixels. Greater resolution will help you crop photos far more aggressively. The older XZ-1 will be behind when it comes to sensor innovation.