Olympus SP-600 UZ vs Sony A57

Following is a in depth assessment of the Olympus SP-600 UZ vs Sony A57, one is a Small Sensor Superzoom and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by brands Olympus and Sony. There exists a sizeable gap between the resolutions of the SP-600 UZ (12MP) and A57 (16MP) and the SP-600 UZ (1/2.3") and A57 (APS-C) enjoy totally different sensor sizes.

Photography Glossary

The SP-600 UZ was manufactured 3 years before the A57 which is quite a large gap as far as technology is concerned. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus SP-600 UZ being a Compact camera and the Sony A57 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before getting straight into a thorough comparison, below is a short synopsis of how the SP-600 UZ scores against the A57 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus SP-600 UZ and Sony SLT-A57. The entire galleries are available at Olympus SP-600 UZ Gallery and Sony A57 Gallery.

When you are aiming to carry around your camera often, you will need to take into account its weight and measurements. The Olympus SP-600 UZ has exterior dimensions of 110mm x 90mm x 91mm (4.3" x 3.5" x 3.6") having a weight of 455 grams (1.00 lbs) whilst the Sony A57 has proportions of 132mm x 98mm x 81mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.2") along with a weight of 618 grams (1.36 lbs).

Check out the Olympus SP-600 UZ vs Sony A57 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you have attached at the time. Here is the front view over all size comparison of the SP-600 UZ versus the A57.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the SP-600 UZ and A57 is 69 and 64 respectively.

Quite often, it's tough to visualise the gap between sensor sizes merely by reviewing specifications. The picture here will give you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the SP-600 UZ and A57.

To sum up, both of the cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The SP-600 UZ because of its tinier sensor will make shooting shallower depth of field harder and the Sony A57 will deliver greater detail due to its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will help you crop pics somewhat more aggressively. The more aged SP-600 UZ is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.