Olympus SH-50 vs Sony A9

In this write-up, we are looking at the Olympus SH-50 vs Sony A9, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Pro Mirrorless by competitors Olympus and Sony. There exists a substantial gap between the resolutions of the SH-50 (16MP) and A9 (24MP) and the SH-50 (1/2.3") and A9 (Full frame) enjoy different sensor size.

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The SH-50 was brought out 5 years earlier than the A9 and that is quite a big difference as far as technology is concerned. Each of these cameras offer different body type with the Olympus SH-50 being a Compact camera and the Sony A9 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before delving through a more detailed comparison, below is a quick summary of how the SH-50 grades against the A9 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus SH-50 & Sony Alpha A9. The entire galleries are viewable at Olympus SH-50 Gallery & Sony A9 Gallery.

For anybody who is looking to carry your camera, you need to think about its weight and size. The Olympus SH-50 features physical measurements of 112mm x 63mm x 42mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.7") with a weight of 269 grams (0.59 lbs) whilst the Sony A9 has specifications of 127mm x 96mm x 63mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.5") accompanied by a weight of 673 grams (1.48 lbs).

Look at the Olympus SH-50 vs Sony A9 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you are employing at that time. Following is the front view measurements comparison of the SH-50 versus the A9.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the SH-50 and A9 is 88 and 65 respectively.

Quite often, it is very difficult to imagine the gap between sensor sizing just by checking a spec sheet. The graphic below may provide you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the SH-50 and A9.

As you can see, both of those cameras offer different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The SH-50 featuring a tinier sensor is going to make shooting shallow depth of field harder and the Sony A9 will give you greater detail having its extra 8MP. Greater resolution can also let you crop images a little more aggressively. The older SH-50 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.