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Olympus SZ-15 vs Sony A7R III

Portability
88
Imaging
40
Features
50
Overall
44
Olympus SZ-15 front
 
Sony Alpha A7R III front
Portability
63
Imaging
78
Features
93
Overall
84

Olympus SZ-15 vs Sony A7R III Key Specs

Olympus SZ-15
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 23-483mm (F2.8-5.9) lens
  • 250g - 108 x 70 x 40mm
  • Revealed June 2013
Sony A7R III
(Full Review)
  • 42MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 32000 (Expand to 102400)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 657g - 127 x 96 x 74mm
  • Released October 2017
  • Replaced the Sony A7R II
  • Updated by Sony A7R IV
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Olympus SZ-15 vs Sony A7R III Overview

Its time to look more closely at the Olympus SZ-15 versus Sony A7R III, one being a Small Sensor Superzoom and the latter is a Pro Mirrorless by competitors Olympus and Sony. There exists a crucial gap between the sensor resolutions of the SZ-15 (16MP) and A7R III (42MP) and the SZ-15 (1/2.3") and A7R III (Full frame) provide different sensor dimensions.

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The SZ-15 was manufactured 5 years earlier than the A7R III and that is quite a serious gap as far as technology is concerned. Both of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus SZ-15 being a Compact camera and the Sony A7R III being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before delving right into a complete comparison, here is a brief view of how the SZ-15 matches up vs the A7R III when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-15 over the Sony A7R III

 SZ-15 A7R III 

Reasons to pick Sony A7R III over the Olympus SZ-15

 A7R III SZ-15 
ReleasedOctober 2017June 2013Fresher by 52 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution1440k460kClearer screen (+980k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Olympus SZ-15 and Sony A7R III

 SZ-15 A7R III 
Manually focus More precise focusing
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen sizing
Selfie screen Neither offers selfie screen

Olympus SZ-15 vs Sony A7R III Physical Comparison

For those who are aiming to carry your camera, you'll have to think about its weight and size. The Olympus SZ-15 offers exterior measurements of 108mm x 70mm x 40mm (4.3" x 2.8" x 1.6") and a weight of 250 grams (0.55 lbs) and the Sony A7R III has specifications of 127mm x 96mm x 74mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.9") along with a weight of 657 grams (1.45 lbs).

Look at the Olympus SZ-15 versus Sony A7R III in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you have attached at the time. Below is a front view proportions comparison of the SZ-15 versus the A7R III.

Olympus SZ-15 vs Sony A7R III size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the SZ-15 and A7R III is 88 and 63 respectively.

Olympus SZ-15 vs Sony A7R III top view buttons comparison

Olympus SZ-15 vs Sony A7R III Sensor Comparison

Normally, it is tough to visualize the difference between sensor sizing only by reading through specs. The graphic here may provide you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the SZ-15 and A7R III.

All in all, both cameras have different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The SZ-15 featuring a tinier sensor is going to make achieving shallower depth of field harder and the Sony A7R III will give you greater detail due to its extra 26MP. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop shots a bit more aggressively. The older SZ-15 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus SZ-15 vs Sony A7R III sensor size comparison

Olympus SZ-15 vs Sony A7R III Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus SZ-15 vs Sony A7R III Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus SZ-15 Portrait photography factors
Sony A7R III Portrait photography factors
44
you can focus manually
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
comes with face detection focus
no external flash support
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
86
you can focus manually
excellent megapixels (42 megapixels)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
comes with face detection autofocus
saves RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus SZ-15 Street photography features
Sony A7R III Street photography features
60
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than average in class (250 grams)
screen does not articulate
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
79
has a tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
saves RAW files
supports touch focus
weather proofing
very good high ISO (32,000)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus SZ-15 Sports photography info
Sony A7R III Sports photography info
53
excellent zoom range (23-483mm 21.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
comes with tracking autofocus
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
has no phase detect auto focus
89
high shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
excellent megapixels (42 megapixels)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
comes with tracking autofocus
weather proofing
better than average battery (650 per charge)
supports phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus SZ-15 Travel photography advice
Sony A7R III Travel photography advice
68
lighter than average in class (250g)
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
fairly wide (23mm)
great zoom (483mm)
missing Timelapse mode
does not feature selfie friendly display
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
74
better than average battery (650 shots)
weather proofing
has bluetooth
supports touch focus
excellent megapixels (42MP)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus SZ-15
Landscape photography with Sony A7R III
49
you can focus manually
fairly wide (23mm)
screen size is good (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
cannot change lens (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
missing Timelapse mode
87
you can focus manually
change lenses (Sony E mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
excellent megapixels (42 megapixels)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
does not have low pass filter
very good high ISO (32,000)
saves RAW files
weather proofing
better than average battery (650 per charge)
has double storage slots
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus SZ-15
Vlogging with Sony A7R III
34
fairly wide (23mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
comes with face detection focus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than average in class (250 grams)
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
does not feature selfie friendly display
missing external microphone port
37
built-in touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
comes with face detection autofocus
high quality video (3840 x 2160 pixels)
comes with external mic port
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
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Olympus SZ-15 vs Sony A7R III Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus SZ-15 and Sony A7R III
 Olympus SZ-15Sony Alpha A7R III
General Information
Brand Olympus Sony
Model Olympus SZ-15 Sony Alpha A7R III
Category Small Sensor Superzoom Pro Mirrorless
Revealed 2013-06-21 2017-10-25
Body design Compact SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Powered by - Bionz X
Sensor type CCD BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" Full frame
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 35.9 x 24mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 861.6mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 42MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4608 x 3456 7952 x 5304
Maximum native ISO 3200 32000
Maximum boosted ISO - 102400
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW support
Min boosted ISO - 50
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch focus
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points - 425
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens Sony E
Lens focal range 23-483mm (21.0x) -
Max aperture f/2.8-5.9 -
Macro focus distance 5cm -
Number of lenses - 121
Crop factor 5.8 1
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Tilting
Screen diagonal 3" 3"
Screen resolution 460 thousand dot 1,440 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Screen technology LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 3,686 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.78x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 8 secs 30 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/8000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 10.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 3.50 m no built-in flash
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync Off, Auto, Fill-flash, Slow Sync, Rear Sync, Red-eye reduction, Wireless, Hi-speed sync
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 480fps (176 x 128), 240fps (384 x 288) 3840 x 2160 (30p, 25p, 24p), 1920 x 1080 (60p, 60i, 24p), 1440 x 1080 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 3840x2160
Video format AVI MPEG4, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 3.1 Gen 1(5 GBit/sec)
GPS BuiltIn None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 250 grams (0.55 pounds) 657 grams (1.45 pounds)
Physical dimensions 108 x 70 x 40mm (4.3" x 2.8" x 1.6") 127 x 96 x 74mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested 100
DXO Color Depth score not tested 26.0
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 14.7
DXO Low light score not tested 3523
Other
Battery life - 650 photographs
Form of battery - Battery Pack
Battery model SLB-10A NP-FZ100
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, Double) Yes (2 or 10 sec; continuous (3 or 5 exposures))
Time lapse recording
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC Two SD/SDHC/SDXC slots (UHS-II support on one)
Storage slots One Two
Price at launch $200 $2,800