Olympus SZ-15 vs Sony a3500

Let's look a little more in depth at the Olympus SZ-15 versus Sony a3500, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by rivals Olympus and Sony. The image resolution of the SZ-15 (16MP) and the a3500 (20MP) is fairly comparable but the SZ-15 (1/2.3") and a3500 (APS-C) use different sensor dimensions.

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The SZ-15 was announced 9 months before the a3500 so they are of a similar age. Each of the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus SZ-15 being a Compact camera and the Sony a3500 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before we go through a step-by-step comparison, below is a concise highlight of how the SZ-15 matches up against the a3500 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus SZ-15 & Sony Alpha a3500. The whole galleries are viewable at Olympus SZ-15 Gallery & Sony a3500 Gallery.

For anybody who is aiming to carry around your camera frequently, you will want to factor in its weight and measurements. The Olympus SZ-15 features physical measurements of 108mm x 70mm x 40mm (4.3" x 2.8" x 1.6") having a weight of 250 grams (0.55 lbs) while the Sony a3500 has proportions of 128mm x 91mm x 85mm (5.0" x 3.6" x 3.3") and a weight of 411 grams (0.91 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus SZ-15 versus Sony a3500 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you choose at that time. Here is the front view size comparison of the SZ-15 against the a3500.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the SZ-15 and a3500 is 88 and 69 respectively.

More often than not, it's difficult to picture the gap in sensor sizes only by seeing specifications. The image here will help provide you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the SZ-15 and a3500.

Plainly, the two cameras offer different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The SZ-15 with its smaller sensor is going to make shooting shallow depth of field more challenging and the Sony a3500 will produce greater detail with its extra 4MP. Greater resolution will also make it easier to crop pics a little more aggressively. The more aged SZ-15 will be behind in sensor technology.