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Olympus SH-50 vs Sony HX20V

Portability
88
Imaging
40
Features
48
Overall
43
Olympus SH-50 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V front
Portability
90
Imaging
42
Features
50
Overall
45

Olympus SH-50 vs Sony HX20V Key Specs

Olympus SH-50
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 125 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-600mm (F3.0-6.9) lens
  • 269g - 112 x 63 x 42mm
  • Launched January 2013
Sony HX20V
(Full Review)
  • 18MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 12800
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-500mm (F3.2-5.8) lens
  • 254g - 107 x 62 x 35mm
  • Revealed July 2012
  • Replaced the Sony HX10V
  • Newer Model is Sony HX30V
Photography Glossary

Olympus SH-50 vs Sony HX20V Overview

Lets look more closely at the Olympus SH-50 vs Sony HX20V, both Small Sensor Superzoom digital cameras by competitors Olympus and Sony. The image resolution of the SH-50 (16MP) and the HX20V (18MP) is pretty similar and they feature the exact same sensor measurements (1/2.3").

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The SH-50 was unveiled 6 months later than the HX20V which means that they are both of a similar age. Each of the cameras come with the identical body type (Compact).

Before diving straight into a in depth comparison, below is a short view of how the SH-50 grades versus the HX20V in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus SH-50 over the Sony HX20V

 SH-50 HX20V 
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Sony HX20V over the Olympus SH-50

 HX20V SH-50 
Screen resolution922k460kClearer screen (+462k dot)

Common features in the Olympus SH-50 and Sony HX20V

 SH-50 HX20V 
RevealedJanuary 2013July 2012Similar age
Manual focus Very exact focus
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen measurements
Selfie screen Neither offers selfie screen

Olympus SH-50 vs Sony HX20V Physical Comparison

When you are planning to lug around your camera regularly, you will have to factor its weight and size. The Olympus SH-50 offers external measurements of 112mm x 63mm x 42mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.7") with a weight of 269 grams (0.59 lbs) while the Sony HX20V has specifications of 107mm x 62mm x 35mm (4.2" x 2.4" x 1.4") accompanied by a weight of 254 grams (0.56 lbs).

See the Olympus SH-50 vs Sony HX20V in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you have attached during that time. Below is the front view over all size comparison of the SH-50 against the HX20V.

Olympus SH-50 vs Sony HX20V size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the SH-50 and HX20V is 88 and 90 respectively.

Olympus SH-50 vs Sony HX20V top view buttons comparison

Olympus SH-50 vs Sony HX20V Sensor Comparison

Generally, its difficult to envision the difference between sensor measurements simply by reviewing specs. The visual underneath will help give you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the SH-50 and HX20V.

As you can plainly see, both the cameras posses the exact same sensor measurements albeit not the same megapixels. You can expect the Sony HX20V to deliver greater detail having an extra 2MP. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop shots somewhat more aggressively.

Olympus SH-50 vs Sony HX20V sensor size comparison

Olympus SH-50 vs Sony HX20V Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus SH-50 vs Sony HX20V Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus SH-50 Portrait photography highlights
Sony HX20V Portrait photography highlights
44
focusing manually
decent megapixels (16MP)
supports face detect focusing
external flash not possible
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
45
you can focus manually
good resolution (18 megapixels)
features face detection focus
external flash not possible
sensor is small (1/2.3")
no RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus SH-50 Street photography advice
Sony HX20V Street photography advice
64
image stabilization (Optical)
boasts touch focus
lighter than others in class (269 grams)
screen is fixed
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
61
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than others in class (254 grams)
no moving screen
sensor is small (1/2.3")
no RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Olympus SH-50 Sports photography info
Sony HX20V Sports photography info
48
incredible zoom range (25-600mm 24.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
supports tracking focus
lack of shutter priority mode
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect AF
49
great zoom range (25-500mm 20.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Optical)
good resolution (18 megapixels)
features tracking autofocus
no shutter priority
sensor is small (1/2.3")
no phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus SH-50 Travel photography advice
Sony HX20V Travel photography advice
69
lighter than others in class (269g)
boasts touch focus
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
pretty wide (25mm)
very long reach (600mm)
lack of Time Lapse recording
screen is not selfie friendly
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.0)
69
lighter than others in class (254g)
good resolution (18 megapixels)
has built in flash
relatively wide (25mm)
long zoom (500mm)
missing Time Lapse function
display isn't selfie friendly
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.2)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus SH-50
Landscape photography with Sony HX20V
49
focusing manually
pretty wide (25mm)
screen size is decent (3 inch)
image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (16MP)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.0)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
lack of Time Lapse recording
50
you can focus manually
relatively wide (25mm)
pretty good screen size (3")
has image stabilization (Optical)
good resolution (18MP)
cannot switch lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.2)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
no RAW files
missing Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus SH-50 as a Vlogging camera
Sony HX20V as a Vlogging camera
34
pretty wide (25mm)
touchscreen capability
image stabilization (Optical)
supports face detect focusing
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
lighter than others in class (269g)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.0)
screen is not selfie friendly
lack of mic port
34
relatively wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
features face detection focus
great video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
lighter than others in class (254 grams)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.2)
display isn't selfie friendly
missing external mic support
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Olympus SH-50 vs Sony HX20V Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus SH-50 and Sony HX20V
 Olympus SH-50Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V
General Information
Brand Olympus Sony
Model Olympus SH-50 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V
Type Small Sensor Superzoom Small Sensor Superzoom
Launched 2013-01-08 2012-07-20
Physical type Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic VI BIONZ
Sensor type BSI-CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 18 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4608 x 3456 4896 x 3672
Highest native ISO 6400 12800
Min native ISO 125 100
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Number of focus points - 9
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 25-600mm (24.0x) 25-500mm (20.0x)
Largest aperture f/3.0-6.9 f/3.2-5.8
Macro focus range 5cm 1cm
Crop factor 5.8 5.8
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display size 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 460k dots 922k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Display technology - XtraFine TruBlack TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Minimum shutter speed 15 seconds 30 seconds
Fastest shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/1600 seconds
Continuous shutter rate 12.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 4.00 m 7.10 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 480fps (176 x 128), 240fps (384 x 288) 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video file format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, AVCHD
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 269 grams (0.59 lb) 254 grams (0.56 lb)
Dimensions 112 x 63 x 42mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.7") 107 x 62 x 35mm (4.2" x 2.4" x 1.4")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Battery life - 320 photos
Battery style - Battery Pack
Battery model SLB-10A NP-BG1
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, Pet Auto Shutter) Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo
Card slots One One
Pricing at release $300 $397