Olympus SZ-11 vs Sony A6400

Its time to look a little more in depth at the Olympus SZ-11 and Sony A6400, one being a Small Sensor Superzoom and the other is a Advanced Mirrorless by rivals Olympus and Sony. There is a huge difference among the image resolutions of the SZ-11 (14MP) and A6400 (24MP) and the SZ-11 (1/2.3") and A6400 (APS-C) offer totally different sensor sizing.

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The SZ-11 was released 8 years earlier than the A6400 and that is a fairly significant gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both cameras feature different body design with the Olympus SZ-11 being a Compact camera and the Sony A6400 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving right into a step-by-step comparison, here is a quick overview of how the SZ-11 scores vs the A6400 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Here is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus SZ-11 and Sony Alpha a6400. The complete galleries are viewable at Olympus SZ-11 Gallery and Sony A6400 Gallery.

If you're planning to carry your camera regularly, you'll need to think about its weight and size. The Olympus SZ-11 enjoys exterior measurements of 106mm x 69mm x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") and a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs) whilst the Sony A6400 has specifications of 120mm x 67mm x 50mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 2.0") having a weight of 403 grams (0.89 lbs).

Compare the Olympus SZ-11 and Sony A6400 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you are using at the time. Following is a front view scale comparison of the SZ-11 against the A6400.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability grade of the SZ-11 and A6400 is 89 and 83 respectively.

In many cases, it's difficult to envision the gap in sensor sizing only by looking through specs. The graphic below might provide you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the SZ-11 and A6400.

All in all, both the cameras feature different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The SZ-11 featuring a smaller sensor will make achieving shallower DOF more challenging and the Sony A6400 will render extra detail as a result of its extra 10 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also let you crop images way more aggressively. The older SZ-11 will be behind when it comes to sensor innovation.