Canon SX20 IS vs Olympus SZ-31MR iHS

On this page, we will be evaluating the Canon SX20 IS vs Olympus SZ-31MR iHS, both Small Sensor Superzoom digital cameras by competitors Canon and Olympus. There exists a substantial gap between the resolutions of the SX20 IS (12MP) and SZ-31MR iHS (16MP) but both cameras offer the same sensor sizes (1/2.3").

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The SX20 IS was released 19 months prior to the SZ-31MR iHS which makes them a generation apart from one another. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Canon SX20 IS being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS being a Compact camera.

Before going into a thorough comparison, here is a brief highlight of how the SX20 IS matches up against the SZ-31MR iHS in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a preview of the gallery photos for Canon PowerShot SX20 IS & Olympus SZ-31MR iHS. The complete galleries are provided at Canon SX20 IS Gallery & Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Gallery.

For anybody who is planning to lug around your camera, you'll have to think about its weight and proportions. The Canon SX20 IS has outside measurements of 128mm x 88mm x 87mm (5.0" x 3.5" x 3.4") accompanied by a weight of 600 grams (1.32 lbs) whilst the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS has measurements of 106mm x 69mm x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") accompanied by a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs).

Look at the Canon SX20 IS vs Olympus SZ-31MR iHS in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you choose at that moment. Below is a front view scale comparison of the SX20 IS against the SZ-31MR iHS.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the SX20 IS and SZ-31MR iHS is 65 and 89 respectively.

Normally, it is very hard to visualize the contrast between sensor measurements simply by going over specs. The photograph here will give you a clearer sense of the sensor measurements in the SX20 IS and SZ-31MR iHS.

As you can plainly see, both of these cameras provide the same sensor dimensions albeit different MP. You can count on the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS to offer you more detail as a result of its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will let you crop photographs more aggressively. The older SX20 IS is going to be behind in sensor tech.