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Olympus SP-590 UZ vs Sony A99 II

Portability
72
Imaging
34
Features
38
Overall
35
Olympus SP-590 UZ front
 
Sony Alpha A99 II front
Portability
57
Imaging
77
Features
92
Overall
83

Olympus SP-590 UZ vs Sony A99 II Key Specs

Olympus SP-590 UZ
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 64 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 26-676mm (F2.8-5.0) lens
  • 413g - 116 x 84 x 81mm
  • Launched January 2009
  • Replacement is Olympus SP-600 UZ
Sony A99 II
(Full Review)
  • 42MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 100 - 25600 (Raise to 102400)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 849g - 143 x 104 x 76mm
  • Introduced September 2016
  • Replaced the Sony A99
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Olympus SP-590 UZ vs Sony A99 II Overview

Let's examine more closely at the Olympus SP-590 UZ versus Sony A99 II, one is a Small Sensor Superzoom and the other is a Advanced DSLR by companies Olympus and Sony. There exists a big gap between the sensor resolutions of the SP-590 UZ (12MP) and A99 II (42MP) and the SP-590 UZ (1/2.3") and A99 II (Full frame) enjoy different sensor sizes.

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The SP-590 UZ was revealed 8 years before the A99 II which is quite a big gap as far as technology is concerned. Both cameras offer different body type with the Olympus SP-590 UZ being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Sony A99 II being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before going straight into a in-depth comparison, below is a simple synopsis of how the SP-590 UZ scores vs the A99 II in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus SP-590 UZ over the Sony A99 II

 SP-590 UZ A99 II 

Reasons to pick Sony A99 II over the Olympus SP-590 UZ

 A99 II SP-590 UZ 
IntroducedSeptember 2016January 2009Newer by 93 months
Display typeFully articulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Display sizing3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution1229k230kSharper display (+999k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Common features in the Olympus SP-590 UZ and Sony A99 II

 SP-590 UZ A99 II 
Manual focus Very accurate focus
Touch display Absent Touch display

Olympus SP-590 UZ vs Sony A99 II Physical Comparison

When you are going to travel with your camera, you will want to consider its weight and volume. The Olympus SP-590 UZ provides outer measurements of 116mm x 84mm x 81mm (4.6" x 3.3" x 3.2") and a weight of 413 grams (0.91 lbs) and the Sony A99 II has sizing of 143mm x 104mm x 76mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.0") with a weight of 849 grams (1.87 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus SP-590 UZ versus Sony A99 II in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you are utilising during that time. The following is the front view overall size comparison of the SP-590 UZ versus the A99 II.

Olympus SP-590 UZ vs Sony A99 II size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the SP-590 UZ and A99 II is 72 and 57 respectively.

Olympus SP-590 UZ vs Sony A99 II top view buttons comparison

Olympus SP-590 UZ vs Sony A99 II Sensor Comparison

Typically, it's hard to visualize the gap between sensor dimensions just by looking at technical specs. The pic below will give you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the SP-590 UZ and A99 II.

As you have seen, each of the cameras enjoy different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The SP-590 UZ using its tinier sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF harder and the Sony A99 II will resolve greater detail because of its extra 30 Megapixels. Greater resolution will enable you to crop photos far more aggressively. The more aged SP-590 UZ is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.

Olympus SP-590 UZ vs Sony A99 II sensor size comparison

Olympus SP-590 UZ vs Sony A99 II Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus SP-590 UZ vs Sony A99 II Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus SP-590 UZ
Portrait photography with Sony A99 II
36
focusing manually
supports RAW formats
no external flash support
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
86
has manual focus
amazing megapixels (42MP)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
includes face detection focus
delivers RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus SP-590 UZ Street photography highlights
Sony A99 II Street photography highlights
59
image stabilization (Optical)
supports RAW formats
environment proofing
screen is fixed
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
76
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
delivers RAW formats
weather proof
great ISO range (25,600)
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus SP-590 UZ
Sports photography with Sony A99 II
38
great zoom range (26-676mm 26.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Optical)
environment proofing
continuous shooting slow (6.0 frames per second)
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
no phase detect autofocus
82
high shutter speed (1/8,000s)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
amazing megapixels (42MP)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
includes tracking autofocus
weather proof
comes with phase detect auto focus
not so great battery life (490 CIPA)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus SP-590 UZ as a Travel photography camera
Sony A99 II as a Travel photography camera
58
environment proofing
flash built-in
really wide (26mm)
very long reach (676mm)
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
screen is not selfie friendly
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
70
weather proof
connects via bluetooth
amazing megapixels (42 megapixels)
selfie friendly display
not so great battery life (490 shots)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus SP-590 UZ Landscape photography factors
Sony A99 II Landscape photography factors
45
focusing manually
really wide (26mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
supports RAW formats
environment proofing
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
small screen (2.7")
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
82
has manual focus
swap lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
nice screen size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
amazing megapixels (42 megapixels)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
doesnt have anti aliasing filter
great ISO range (25,600)
delivers RAW formats
weather proof
2 card slots
not so great battery life (490 CIPA)
Photography Glossary

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus SP-590 UZ Vlogging information
Sony A99 II Vlogging information
24
really wide (26mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
screen is not selfie friendly
video res low (640 x 480 resolution)
does not have mic jack
78
selfie friendly display
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
includes face detection focus
video resolution high (3840 x 2160 resolution)
does have external mic support
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Olympus SP-590 UZ vs Sony A99 II Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus SP-590 UZ and Sony A99 II
 Olympus SP-590 UZSony Alpha A99 II
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus SP-590 UZ Sony Alpha A99 II
Class Small Sensor Superzoom Advanced DSLR
Launched 2009-01-07 2016-09-19
Physical type SLR-like (bridge) Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Chip - Bionz X
Sensor type CCD BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" Full frame
Sensor dimensions 6.08 x 4.56mm 35.9 x 24mm
Sensor surface area 27.7mm² 861.6mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 42 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio - 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 3968 x 2976 7952 x 5304
Max native ISO 6400 25600
Max enhanced ISO - 102400
Lowest native ISO 64 100
RAW pictures
Lowest enhanced ISO - 50
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Total focus points - 399
Cross type focus points - 79
Lens
Lens support fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens zoom range 26-676mm (26.0x) -
Highest aperture f/2.8-5.0 -
Macro focusing distance 1cm -
Amount of lenses - 143
Crop factor 5.9 1
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fully articulated
Screen diagonal 2.7 inch 3 inch
Resolution of screen 230k dots 1,229k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359k dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.78x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 15 secs 30 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/8000 secs
Continuous shutter rate 6.0 frames/s 12.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 8.00 m no built-in flash
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync Off, auto, fill, slow sync, redeye reduction, rear sync, high-speed sync, wireless
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize - 1/250 secs
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps) -
Max video resolution 640x480 3840x2160
Video data format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 413 gr (0.91 pounds) 849 gr (1.87 pounds)
Dimensions 116 x 84 x 81mm (4.6" x 3.3" x 3.2") 143 x 104 x 76mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.0")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested 92
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 25.4
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 13.4
DXO Low light rating not tested 2317
Other
Battery life - 490 photos
Battery style - NP-FM500H lithium-ion battery & charger
Self timer Yes (12 or 2 sec) Yes (2, 5, 10 secs)
Time lapse feature
Storage type xD Picture Card, microSD Card, Internal Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC/MS Duo slots
Card slots 1 Dual
Cost at release $249 $3,198