Olympus SP-590 UZ vs Olympus SZ-16 iHS

On this page, we are reviewing the Olympus SP-590 UZ versus Olympus SZ-16 iHS, both Small Sensor Superzoom digital cameras and they are both sold by Olympus. There exists a crucial gap between the sensor resolutions of the SP-590 UZ (12MP) and SZ-16 iHS (16MP) but both cameras posses the same sensor measurements (1/2.3").

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The SP-590 UZ was manufactured 5 years prior to the SZ-16 iHS and that is quite a serious gap as far as technology is concerned. Both cameras have different body design with the Olympus SP-590 UZ being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Olympus SZ-16 iHS being a Compact camera.

Before delving straight to a full comparison, here is a quick view of how the SP-590 UZ grades versus the SZ-16 iHS when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus SP-590 UZ and Olympus SZ-16 iHS. The entire galleries are provided at Olympus SP-590 UZ Gallery and Olympus SZ-16 iHS Gallery.

In case you're planning to lug around your camera, you should consider its weight and proportions. The Olympus SP-590 UZ enjoys outer dimensions of 116mm x 84mm x 81mm (4.6" x 3.3" x 3.2") accompanied by a weight of 413 grams (0.91 lbs) while the Olympus SZ-16 iHS has measurements of 108mm x 70mm x 40mm (4.3" x 2.8" x 1.6") having a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus SP-590 UZ versus Olympus SZ-16 iHS in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you are working with at that moment. Here is a front view over all size comparison of the SP-590 UZ versus the SZ-16 iHS.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability score of the SP-590 UZ and SZ-16 iHS is 72 and 89 respectively.

Normally, it is very difficult to envision the gap between sensor measurements merely by going over technical specs. The visual underneath may provide you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the SP-590 UZ and SZ-16 iHS.

As you can tell, both the cameras provide the same sensor dimensions but not the same MP. You should expect to see the Olympus SZ-16 iHS to offer extra detail due to its extra 4MP. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop photos more aggressively. The older SP-590 UZ is going to be disadvantaged in sensor technology.