Canon SX40 HS vs Olympus SZ-31MR iHS

The following is a detailed assessment of the Canon SX40 HS and Olympus SZ-31MR iHS, both Small Sensor Superzoom digital cameras by competitors Canon and Olympus. There is a sizable difference between the image resolutions of the SX40 HS (12MP) and SZ-31MR iHS (16MP) but they come with the same exact sensor sizes (1/2.3").

Photography Glossary

The SX40 HS was announced 4 months earlier than the SZ-31MR iHS which means that they are of a similar age. Both the cameras offer different body type with the Canon SX40 HS being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS being a Compact camera.

Before diving straight into a complete comparison, below is a brief highlight of how the SX40 HS grades against the SZ-31MR iHS for portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Canon PowerShot SX40 HS & Olympus SZ-31MR iHS. The whole galleries are provided at Canon SX40 HS Gallery & Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Gallery.

For anyone who is aiming to travel with your camera frequently, you'll need to think about its weight and size. The Canon SX40 HS features external dimensions of 123mm x 92mm x 108mm (4.8" x 3.6" x 4.3") having a weight of 600 grams (1.32 lbs) whilst the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS has specifications of 106mm x 69mm x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") and a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs).

Check out the Canon SX40 HS and Olympus SZ-31MR iHS in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you are using at that moment. Below is the front view sizing comparison of the SX40 HS and the SZ-31MR iHS.

Looking at size and weight, the portability score of the SX40 HS and SZ-31MR iHS is 64 and 89 respectively.

In many cases, its tough to picture the gap between sensor dimensions purely by checking technical specs. The image here will help give you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the SX40 HS and SZ-31MR iHS.

As you can tell, both of those cameras enjoy the same exact sensor sizing but different resolution. You can anticipate the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS to give you more detail with its extra 4MP. Greater resolution will enable you to crop pics far more aggressively.