Olympus SZ-10 vs Sony A500

On this page, we will be reviewing the Olympus SZ-10 vs Sony A500, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by rivals Olympus and Sony. The sensor resolution of the SZ-10 (14MP) and the A500 (12MP) is pretty comparable but the SZ-10 (1/2.3") and A500 (APS-C) provide different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The SZ-10 was revealed 18 months after the A500 which makes them a generation away from one another. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus SZ-10 being a Compact camera and the Sony A500 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before going right into a thorough comparison, here is a quick introduction of how the SZ-10 scores against the A500 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

This is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus SZ-10 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A500. The full galleries are viewable at Olympus SZ-10 Gallery & Sony A500 Gallery.

In case you're looking to carry around your camera often, you're going to have to factor in its weight and volume. The Olympus SZ-10 offers exterior dimensions of 106mm x 67mm x 38mm (4.2" x 2.6" x 1.5") accompanied by a weight of 215 grams (0.47 lbs) while the Sony A500 has sizing of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") accompanied by a weight of 630 grams (1.39 lbs).

Check out the Olympus SZ-10 vs Sony A500 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you use during that time. Below is a front view overall size comparison of the SZ-10 compared to the A500.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the SZ-10 and A500 is 90 and 63 respectively.

Quite often, it can be difficult to picture the gap in sensor sizes purely by checking out specifications. The picture below may give you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the SZ-10 and A500.

Plainly, the two cameras have different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The SZ-10 having a smaller sensor is going to make achieving shallow depth of field trickier and the Olympus SZ-10 will show extra detail because of its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also help you crop shots a bit more aggressively. The more modern SZ-10 provides an edge when it comes to sensor innovation.