Olympus SZ-15 vs Sony A580

Lets examine more in depth at the Olympus SZ-15 versus Sony A580, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. The image resolution of the SZ-15 (16MP) and the A580 (16MP) is fairly close but the SZ-15 (1/2.3") and A580 (APS-C) enjoy different sensor sizes.

Photography Glossary

The SZ-15 was unveiled 2 years after the A580 which is a fairly significant difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus SZ-15 being a Compact camera and the Sony A580 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before we go in to a step-by-step comparison, below is a simple overview of how the SZ-15 scores against the A580 for portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus SZ-15 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A580. The full galleries are provided at Olympus SZ-15 Gallery & Sony A580 Gallery.

In case you're going to travel with your camera, you need to think about its weight and proportions. The Olympus SZ-15 enjoys external dimensions of 108mm x 70mm x 40mm (4.3" x 2.8" x 1.6") and a weight of 250 grams (0.55 lbs) whilst the Sony A580 has measurements of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") having a weight of 599 grams (1.32 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus SZ-15 versus Sony A580 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you are utilising at the time. Below is the front view overall size comparison of the SZ-15 vs the A580.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability rating of the SZ-15 and A580 is 88 and 64 respectively.

Usually, it is very hard to imagine the contrast in sensor dimensions simply by viewing specifications. The pic underneath may provide you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the SZ-15 and A580.

To sum up, each of the cameras have got the exact same MP but different sensor dimensions. The SZ-15 uses the smaller sensor which is going to make getting shallow DOF trickier. The newer SZ-15 should have an advantage with regard to sensor innovation.