Olympus SZ-15 vs Sony A380

On this page, we are looking at the Olympus SZ-15 and Sony A380, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by competitors Olympus and Sony. The image resolution of the SZ-15 (16MP) and the A380 (14MP) is very similar but the SZ-15 (1/2.3") and A380 (APS-C) have different sensor size.

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The SZ-15 was announced 3 years after the A380 which is quite a serious difference as far as technology is concerned. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus SZ-15 being a Compact camera and the Sony A380 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before we go right into a detailed comparison, here is a short overview of how the SZ-15 scores vs the A380 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus SZ-15 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A380. The whole galleries are viewable at Olympus SZ-15 Gallery & Sony A380 Gallery.

If you're going to travel with your camera often, you should take into account its weight and dimensions. The Olympus SZ-15 provides external dimensions of 108mm x 70mm x 40mm (4.3" x 2.8" x 1.6") having a weight of 250 grams (0.55 lbs) whilst the Sony A380 has dimensions of 128mm x 97mm x 71mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.8") having a weight of 519 grams (1.14 lbs).

Check the Olympus SZ-15 and Sony A380 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you have at the time. The following is a front view measurements comparison of the SZ-15 versus the A380.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the SZ-15 and A380 is 88 and 68 respectively.

Sometimes, it is very hard to picture the gap between sensor dimensions only by going over a spec sheet. The pic below will help provide you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the SZ-15 and A380.

Clearly, each of the cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The SZ-15 using its tinier sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF harder and the Olympus SZ-15 will offer greater detail with its extra 2MP. Greater resolution will also help you crop photos more aggressively. The more modern SZ-15 should have a benefit when it comes to sensor tech.