Olympus SZ-11 vs Sony A390

Lets look much closer at the Olympus SZ-11 vs Sony A390, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Olympus and Sony. The image resolution of the SZ-11 (14MP) and the A390 (14MP) is relatively comparable but the SZ-11 (1/2.3") and A390 (APS-C) feature totally different sensor sizes.

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The SZ-11 was unveiled 13 months later than the A390 which makes the cameras a generation apart from one another. Both of these cameras offer different body type with the Olympus SZ-11 being a Compact camera and the Sony A390 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before we go through a detailed comparison, below is a quick overview of how the SZ-11 grades versus the A390 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus SZ-11 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A390. The full galleries are available at Olympus SZ-11 Gallery & Sony A390 Gallery.

For those who are going to lug around your camera, you will want to consider its weight and proportions. The Olympus SZ-11 comes with physical dimensions of 106mm x 69mm x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") and a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs) and the Sony A390 has measurements of 128mm x 97mm x 86mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 3.4") along with a weight of 549 grams (1.21 lbs).

Look at the Olympus SZ-11 vs Sony A390 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you choose at that time. Underneath is the front view sizing comparison of the SZ-11 against the A390.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the SZ-11 and A390 is 89 and 66 respectively.

Typically, it is hard to envision the gap in sensor measurements merely by going through specifications. The graphic below should offer you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the SZ-11 and A390.

To sum up, both of these cameras offer the same exact megapixel count albeit not the same sensor measurements. The SZ-11 contains the smaller sensor which is going to make obtaining shallow DOF trickier. The more recent SZ-11 is going to have an advantage with regard to sensor tech.