Olympus SP-565UZ vs Sony A850

Following is a detailed comparison of the Olympus SP-565UZ versus Sony A850, one is a Small Sensor Superzoom and the other is a Advanced DSLR by brands Olympus and Sony. There is a big difference among the sensor resolutions of the SP-565UZ (10MP) and A850 (25MP) and the SP-565UZ (1/2.3") and A850 (Full frame) provide different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The SP-565UZ was released 15 months prior to the A850 making them a generation away from each other. Both cameras have different body design with the Olympus SP-565UZ being a Compact camera and the Sony A850 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before going into a in-depth comparison, here is a short highlight of how the SP-565UZ scores vs the A850 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus SP-565UZ and Sony Alpha DSLR-A850. The complete galleries are available at Olympus SP-565UZ Gallery and Sony A850 Gallery.

When you are intending to carry around your camera regularly, you will need to think about its weight and dimensions. The Olympus SP-565UZ has exterior dimensions of 116mm x 84mm x 81mm (4.6" x 3.3" x 3.2") with a weight of 413 grams (0.91 lbs) and the Sony A850 has dimensions of 156mm x 117mm x 82mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 3.2") accompanied by a weight of 895 grams (1.97 lbs).

See the Olympus SP-565UZ versus Sony A850 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you are utilising at the time. Here is a front view over all size comparison of the SP-565UZ and the A850.

Looking at size and weight, the portability rating of the SP-565UZ and A850 is 72 and 54 respectively.

Usually, it's difficult to picture the gap in sensor sizes only by seeing a spec sheet. The pic below may offer you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the SP-565UZ and A850.

As you can see, the two cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The SP-565UZ due to its smaller sensor is going to make achieving bokeh more difficult and the Sony A850 will show greater detail as a result of its extra 15MP. Greater resolution will let you crop images more aggressively. The more aged SP-565UZ will be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.