Olympus E-M10 vs Olympus SP-820UZ

Its time to look closer at the Olympus E-M10 and Olympus SP-820UZ, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom and both of them are produced by Olympus. The image resolution of the E-M10 (16MP) and the SP-820UZ (14MP) is very well matched but the E-M10 (Four Thirds) and SP-820UZ (1/2.3") provide different sensor size.

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The E-M10 was announced 20 months after the SP-820UZ making them a generation away from each other. Both cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-M10 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus SP-820UZ being a Compact camera.

Before going straight to a full comparison, here is a quick overview of how the E-M10 scores vs the SP-820UZ in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus OM-D E-M10 and Olympus Stylus SP-820UZ. The whole galleries are viewable at Olympus E-M10 Gallery and Olympus SP-820UZ Gallery.

When you are looking to travel with your camera regularly, you're going to have to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-M10 offers outside dimensions of 119mm x 82mm x 46mm (4.7" x 3.2" x 1.8") with a weight of 396 grams (0.87 lbs) and the Olympus SP-820UZ has dimensions of 117mm x 78mm x 93mm (4.6" x 3.1" x 3.7") with a weight of 485 grams (1.07 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-M10 and Olympus SP-820UZ in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you are working with at the time. Following is a front view proportions comparison of the E-M10 compared to the SP-820UZ.

Considering size and weight, the portability grade of the E-M10 and SP-820UZ is 82 and 69 respectively.

Often, it is very difficult to picture the gap between sensor dimensions purely by checking technical specs. The image underneath should give you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-M10 and SP-820UZ.

As you have seen, both cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The E-M10 using its larger sensor is going to make getting shallower DOF simpler and the Olympus E-M10 will give you more detail with its extra 2MP. Greater resolution will enable you to crop images a good deal more aggressively. The more modern E-M10 should have a benefit in sensor innovation.