Olympus FE-5020 vs Olympus SZ-31MR iHS

Lets examine more in depth at the Olympus FE-5020 versus Olympus SZ-31MR iHS, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom and both of them are manufactured by Olympus. There exists a big gap among the resolutions of the FE-5020 (12MP) and SZ-31MR iHS (16MP) but they possess the same exact sensor sizing (1/2.3").

Photography Glossary

The FE-5020 was released 3 years prior to the SZ-31MR iHS and that is a fairly big gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of the cameras offer the identical body type (Compact).

Before going through a thorough comparison, below is a quick summation of how the FE-5020 matches up against the SZ-31MR iHS with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Here is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus FE-5020 and Olympus SZ-31MR iHS. The complete galleries are viewable at Olympus FE-5020 Gallery and Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Gallery.

If you're going to carry your camera often, you're going to have to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Olympus FE-5020 has external dimensions of 93mm x 56mm x 25mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 1.0") having a weight of 137 grams (0.30 lbs) while the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS has dimensions of 106mm x 69mm x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") having a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs).

Check out the Olympus FE-5020 versus Olympus SZ-31MR iHS in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you use at that moment. Underneath is the front view scale comparison of the FE-5020 and the SZ-31MR iHS.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability score of the FE-5020 and SZ-31MR iHS is 95 and 89 respectively.

Sometimes, its difficult to imagine the gap in sensor sizing just by looking through specs. The photograph below will help provide you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the FE-5020 and SZ-31MR iHS.

All in all, the 2 cameras offer the same exact sensor sizing albeit different MP. You should expect the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS to provide you with greater detail as a result of its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also let you crop photographs a little more aggressively. The older FE-5020 will be behind in sensor technology.