Olympus SP-800 UZ vs Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H20: A Definitive Comparison for Serious Enthusiasts

When it comes to small sensor compact cameras with versatile zoom ranges, the Olympus SP-800 UZ and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H20 are two models that piqued significant interest in the late 2000s and early 2010s. Though now somewhat dated, their combination of superzoom capabilities and accessible price points have maintained nostalgic appeal among photography enthusiasts looking back or collectors hunting versatile point-and-shoots. More importantly, dissecting their technical specs, image quality, and usability sheds valuable light on their design philosophies and performance boundaries, helping guide purchase decisions even for those navigating entry-level bridges or compact superzooms today. Drawing from meticulous hands-on testing and years of comparative review experience, this article provides an exhaustive, trustworthy evaluation of the Olympus SP-800 UZ and Sony DSC-H20, highlighting their strengths, compromises, and best-suited photographic applications.

1. Physical Build and Ergonomics: Handling That Shapes Experience

First impressions matter, and in real-world photography - where fast reflexes and intuitive handling often determine if you capture the shot - the physical design can be as critical as sensor specs or image processing.

Examining both cameras, the Olympus SP-800 UZ feels noticeably chunkier and heavier (455 grams) due to its bulky superzoom lens assembly and thicker body dimensions of 110x90x91 mm. This heft, while somewhat taxing for casual strolls, imparts a sense of solidity and balance - especially valuable when shooting at extreme telephoto focal lengths where camera shake threatens image sharpness. Yet, the SP-800’s generous grip contours, despite being a compact-class bridge camera, allow photographers to maintain a steady hold, enhancing confidence during zoom-heavy sessions.

Conversely, Sony’s Cyber-shot H20 is designed with portability and discretion as priorities; at a svelte 250 grams and compact dimensions of 107x69x47 mm, it slips unobtrusively into pockets or compact camera bags, allowing for spontaneous street and travel photography. The smaller footprint, however, translates to smaller, less pronounced grips and buttons - a trade-off that, while appealing to casual users and travelers, may reduce prolonged shooting comfort or stability during long telephoto bursts.

Both models feature 3-inch fixed displays with matching 230k dot resolutions; however, neither includes an electronic viewfinder, challenging photographers to rely entirely on the rear LCD in bright outdoor conditions. While this common constraint in budget-to-midrange compacts from the era is understandable, it does place some limitations on composition precision, especially in harsh sunlight.

Comparing top-down control layouts, the Olympus SP-800 UZ offers a slightly more intuitive and spaced arrangement of dials and buttons, prioritizing quick access to zoom and shooting modes. The Sony H20, in contrast, relies more heavily on menu navigation due to fewer dedicated controls - potentially less appealing for photographers valuing fast manual adjustments.

Summary: For photographers prioritizing ergonomics and longer telephoto stability, the Olympus SP-800 wins hands down. For those who prefer ultimate portability and occasionally shooting on the go, Sony’s lighter, pocket-friendly design shines.

2. Sensor Technology and Image Quality: The Heart of Every Camera

At the core of any camera’s photographic prowess is its sensor - determining resolution, noise performance, and rendering capabilities. Both the Olympus SP-800 UZ and Sony H20 utilize 1/2.3" CCD sensors, a common size that, although outdated by today’s standards, was popular for budget-friendly superzoom compacts.

• Olympus SP-800 UZ Sensor: 14 megapixels (4288x3216 max resolution), CCD technology, equipped with an anti-aliasing filter. The maximum ISO is capped at 3200, with a native minimum ISO of 64 and boosted ISO only to 1000.
• Sony DSC-H20 Sensor: 10 megapixels (3648x2736 max resolution), also CCD-based with anti-aliasing filtering. Native ISO range starts at 100, maxes at 3200.

It’s important to note that despite Olympus’s higher megapixel count, more pixels on the same small sensor size (roughly 28.07 mm² sensor area for both) typically mean smaller pixel pitches, which often results in increased noise at higher ISOs and slightly weaker dynamic range.

Image Detail & Resolution: The Olympus’s 14MP sensor provides a sharper image file at base ISO, lending some advantage for users who intend to crop or print at larger sizes. However, optical aberrations at the telephoto end and limited lens resolving power can bottleneck potential increased detail capture.

Noise & Low Light: Both cameras exhibit considerable high ISO noise due to their small sensor size and older CCD technology - though Olympus’s lower base ISO 64 theoretically offers marginally better dynamic range and less noise in well-lit conditions. In practice, at ISO 800 and higher, image noise becomes quite prominent on both, restricting their usability in low-light scenarios without flash.

Color Reproduction: Neither model supports RAW capture, limiting post-processing flexibility and forcing JPG-only workflows. The Olympus tends toward slightly cooler tones with a flatter color profile, while Sony’s JPEG engine offers warmer skin tones and slightly punchier saturation, beneficial for casual photography without post-editing.

3. Autofocus, Exposure, and Manual Control: Balancing Simplicity and Precision

A camera’s autofocus system and exposure control versatility critically influence its adaptability to different photography styles.

Autofocus:

• Olympus SP-800 UZ: 143 contrast-detection focus points, with AF tracking capabilities but no face or eye detection, and no manual focus capability. Its contrast-detection autofocus, while reasonably accurate, shows hunting delays in low contrast or dim lighting, especially in continuous shooting scenarios.
• Sony DSC-H20: Only 9 contrast-detection AF points, no tracking or face detection. Crucially, it offers manual focus control, a notable advantage for macro work or manual precision shooting. AF performance is comparable with moderate speed but less reliable tracking under dynamic conditions.

Manual Exposure:

• Olympus lacks shutter priority, aperture priority, and full manual modes; users choose among limited program modes, restricting creative exposure control.
• Sony offers full manual exposure controls including aperture priority, shutter priority, and custom white balance - a decisive professional feature empowering enthusiasts to tailor exposure, depth of field, and motion capture creatively.

Stabilization:

• Olympus features sensor-shift stabilization; effective in reducing camera shake across the zoom range.
• Sony employs optical stabilization integrated with the lens; also effective, yet often slightly less flexible than sensor-shift, especially at longer focal lengths.

Flash Performance:

Sony’s built-in flash offers a significantly superior guide number (7.10 m) compared to Olympus (3.10 m), and more advanced flash modes like slow sync, rear curtain, and red-eye reduction versus Olympus’s basic auto, on, off, and red-eye.

4. Lens and Zoom: Versatility and Optical Reach Compared

One of the biggest selling points of these advanced compact cameras is their superzoom lenses.

• Olympus SP-800 UZ: A monster 30x zoom covering 28-840mm equivalent focal length with a bright starting aperture of f/2.8 stepping to f/5.6 at telephoto.
• Sony DSC-H20: More modest 10x zoom ranging from 38-380 mm equivalent, with f/3.5-4.4 aperture.

The Olympus’s vast zoom range allows photographers to confidently tackle wildlife, sports, or distant subjects without changing lenses and maintaining a relatively fast aperture at wide angle, making it more versatile for various genres.

Sony’s lens, while shorter in reach and slightly slower at wide apertures, benefits from manual focus ability for close macro focusing (down to 2 cm), enhancing creative close-up potential.

Both lenses suffer softening and chromatic aberrations at the extremes of their zooms, though Olympus’s lens is generally regarded as more optically versatile, especially given its extended telephoto reach.

5. Photography Genres: Who Should Consider Each Camera?

The real test lies in practical application. How do these cameras perform across the widest range of photographic uses?

Portrait Photography

• Olympus SP-800 UZ: Its fast f/2.8 wide-angle aperture and longer reach allow expressive head-to-shoulder portraits with decent background separation and pleasing bokeh at longer focal lengths, although face and eye detection AF is absent. The cooler color tone reproduction might require slight adjustments for ideal skin tones.
• Sony H20: Warmer JPEG processing helps produce pleasing skin tones out-of-camera. Manual focus facilitates selective focus on eyes or details. However, shorter focal length limits compressed perspectives and background blur.

Landscape Photography

• Olympus SP-800 UZ: Its higher resolution 14MP sensor and wide 28mm equivalent setting provide better framing options and detail at base ISO. Unfortunately, it lacks weather sealing, limiting rugged outdoor reliability.
• Sony H20: Lower resolution and narrower wide angle (38 mm) give a more constrained framing experience. Also no weather sealing. Color rendition is richer but noise and dynamic range limitations are equally restrictive.

Wildlife and Sports Photography

• Olympus SP-800 UZ: Thanks to its massive 840mm telephoto reach, 10 fps burst shooting, and AF tracking, this camera allows enthusiasts to capture distant action reasonably well, despite some lag in AF speed.
• Sony H20: Shorter zoom and slower 2 fps continuous rates restrict effectiveness in these fast-paced genres. Manual controls aid in settings customization but don’t compensate for limited reach and AF.

Street and Travel Photography

• Sony H20: Small size, light weight, and manual mode excel here, permitting discreet shooting and creative exposure control on the move.
• Olympus SP-800 UZ: Bulky and conspicuous - less ideal for street, but superior versatility for travel photographers needing wide zoom range without lens swaps.

Macro Photography

• Sony H20’s closer 2 cm focusing distance combined with manual focus makes it a better choice for close-up detail.
• Olympus reaches as close as 1 cm but without manual focus, sometimes frustrating fine focus adjustments.

Olympus SP 800 UZ front Olympus SP 800 UZ screen back Sony H20 front Sony H20 screen back

6. Video Capabilities: Basic HD with Limitations

Both the Olympus SP-800 UZ and Sony DSC-H20 offer 720p HD video recording at 30 fps, a respectable feature circa 2009-2010 but plainly lacking by modern standards.

• Neither supports advanced video codecs or higher frame rates beyond 30 fps.
• Both do not support external microphones, limiting audio quality customization.
• Olympus includes timelapse recording, a niche plus not found on the Sony.
• No in-body electronic stabilization for video; stabilization is optical/sensor-shift for stills only.
• Users seeking serious video capabilities will find both models inadequate.

7. Battery Life, Storage, and Connectivity

• Battery: Olympus SP-800 uses the Li-50B battery; Sony utilizes the NP-BG1. Neither model boasts impressive endurance by modern standards, averaging around 230-300 shots per charge according to manufacturer claims, which real-world testing confirms.
• Storage: Olympus supports SD/SDHC cards; Sony is limited to Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo - a proprietary format, less convenient and more expensive to acquire today.
• Connectivity: Both cameras lack wireless features (no Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC), limiting image transfer and remote control capabilities - a notable omission in modern context.
• Ports: Both include HDMI and USB 2.0 ports, allowing basic tethering and playback.

8. Value and Price-to-Performance Analysis

At launch, Olympus’s SP-800 UZ was priced slightly higher (~$270) than Sony’s H20 (~$250). Given its extended zoom, higher resolution sensor, and faster continuous shooting, Olympus offered more features for invested money, especially for photographers prioritizing telephoto reach and burst performance.

Sony’s DSC-H20, cheaper, lighter, and more manual-control friendly, is arguably better suited for casual photographers and those seeking a compact solution with some photographic creativity.

Both models show their age now, and users must consider the absence of RAW support, limited ISO flexibility, and lack of modern connectivity. However, for collectors or hobbyists exploring compact superzooms from their era, these cameras retain certain specialized appeal.

Final Recommendations: Which Camera Suits Your Photography?

Conclusion: Balancing Legacy Features with Real-World Usability

The Olympus SP-800 UZ and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H20 represent two divergent engineering paths for small sensor compact superzoom cameras: one emphasizing maximal optical reach and burst capability, the other preferring portability and manual control freedom. Neither can, nor should, be judged against today’s premium smartphones or mirrorless cameras, but their mix of features, sensor performance, and ergonomics still provide educational insights into the early 2010s digital camera landscape.

For photographers prioritizing ultimate zoom and simple point-and-shoot handling, the Olympus SP-800 UZ remains an admirable performer with well-balanced image quality and shooting flexibility, albeit bulky for casual use.

For those valuing size, creative manual controls, and warmer image rendering within a limited zoom range, the Sony H20 serves better as a travel-friendly or hobbyist camera.

Ultimately, understanding their technology limitations, usability trade-offs, and shooting strengths will guide photographers toward the camera best aligned with their personal vision and shooting scenarios.

This comparison was composed using extensive technical data, hands-on testing methodology from lab evaluations and field experience spanning hundreds of devices in the superzoom compact niche.

We hope this deep-dive helps you make an empowered, informed choice.

Appendix: Technical Specifications Summary

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