Olympus SP-590 UZ vs Olympus SH-1

Following is a complete comparison of the Olympus SP-590 UZ and Olympus SH-1, both Small Sensor Superzoom cameras and both of them are manufactured by Olympus. There exists a significant gap among the sensor resolutions of the SP-590 UZ (12MP) and SH-1 (16MP) but they possess the exact same sensor measurements (1/2.3").

Photography Glossary

The SP-590 UZ was announced 6 years prior to the SH-1 which is a fairly sizable gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus SP-590 UZ being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Olympus SH-1 being a Compact camera.

Before getting through a thorough comparison, below is a short view of how the SP-590 UZ matches up against the SH-1 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus SP-590 UZ and Olympus Stylus SH-1. The whole galleries are viewable at Olympus SP-590 UZ Gallery and Olympus SH-1 Gallery.

For anyone who is going to carry around your camera regularly, you have to factor its weight and size. The Olympus SP-590 UZ enjoys exterior 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 SH-1 has specifications of 109mm x 63mm x 42mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.7") accompanied by a weight of 271 grams (0.60 lbs).

Compare the Olympus SP-590 UZ and Olympus SH-1 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you have chosen at that moment. Here is the front view over all size comparison of the SP-590 UZ versus the SH-1.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the SP-590 UZ and SH-1 is 72 and 88 respectively.

More often than not, it's difficult to picture the gap in sensor sizes purely by researching specifications. The pic below should give you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the SP-590 UZ and SH-1.

To sum up, both the cameras posses the exact same sensor measurements but different megapixels. You should expect to see the Olympus SH-1 to render more detail with its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also allow you to crop pics somewhat more aggressively. The more aged SP-590 UZ will be disadvantaged in sensor tech.