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Olympus SZ-15 vs Sony RX10 IV

Portability
88
Imaging
40
Features
50
Overall
44
Olympus SZ-15 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 IV front
Portability
52
Imaging
53
Features
82
Overall
64

Olympus SZ-15 vs Sony RX10 IV Key Specs

Olympus SZ-15
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 23-483mm (F2.8-5.9) lens
  • 250g - 108 x 70 x 40mm
  • Announced June 2013
Sony RX10 IV
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 125 - 12800 (Bump to 25600)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • 24-600mm (F2.4-4.0) lens
  • 1095g - 133 x 94 x 145mm
  • Announced September 2017
  • Succeeded the Sony RX10 III
Photography Glossary

Olympus SZ-15 vs Sony RX10 IV Overview

In this write-up, we will be analyzing the Olympus SZ-15 vs Sony RX10 IV, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Large Sensor Superzoom by brands Olympus and Sony. The image resolution of the SZ-15 (16MP) and the RX10 IV (20MP) is relatively similar but the SZ-15 (1/2.3") and RX10 IV (1") use different sensor sizing.

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The SZ-15 was released 5 years earlier than the RX10 IV which is quite a serious difference as far as technology is concerned. Each of the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus SZ-15 being a Compact camera and the Sony RX10 IV being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before diving straight into a thorough comparison, below is a simple overview of how the SZ-15 matches up against the RX10 IV when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-15 over the Sony RX10 IV

 SZ-15 RX10 IV 

Reasons to pick Sony RX10 IV over the Olympus SZ-15

 RX10 IV SZ-15 
AnnouncedSeptember 2017June 2013Newer by 51 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution1440k460kClearer screen (+980k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Olympus SZ-15 and Sony RX10 IV

 SZ-15 RX10 IV 
Manually focus Very accurate focusing
Screen sizing3"3"Equivalent screen measurement
Selfie screen Absent selfie screen

Olympus SZ-15 vs Sony RX10 IV Physical Comparison

If you're planning to travel with your camera frequently, you will need to factor in its weight and measurements. The Olympus SZ-15 has outside measurements of 108mm x 70mm x 40mm (4.3" x 2.8" x 1.6") accompanied by a weight of 250 grams (0.55 lbs) whilst the Sony RX10 IV has proportions of 133mm x 94mm x 145mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 5.7") and a weight of 1095 grams (2.41 lbs).

See the Olympus SZ-15 vs Sony RX10 IV in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you have chosen at that moment. Underneath is the front view size comparison of the SZ-15 versus the RX10 IV.

Olympus SZ-15 vs Sony RX10 IV size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the SZ-15 and RX10 IV is 88 and 52 respectively.

Olympus SZ-15 vs Sony RX10 IV top view buttons comparison

Olympus SZ-15 vs Sony RX10 IV Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it's tough to picture the gap between sensor dimensions just by reviewing a spec sheet. The pic here might offer you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the SZ-15 and RX10 IV.

As you can see, both the cameras enjoy different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The SZ-15 featuring a tinier sensor is going to make getting shallower depth of field tougher and the Sony RX10 IV will offer extra detail as a result of its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will help you crop shots far more aggressively. The more aged SZ-15 is going to be behind with regard to sensor tech.

Olympus SZ-15 vs Sony RX10 IV sensor size comparison

Olympus SZ-15 vs Sony RX10 IV Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus SZ-15 vs Sony RX10 IV Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus SZ-15 Portrait photography advice
Sony RX10 IV Portrait photography advice
44
focusing manually
decent megapixels (16MP)
supports face detect focus
external flash not possible
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
71
focusing manually
high flash sync speed (1/2,000 seconds)
MP count good (20 megapixels)
nice sensor size (1")
has face detection focusing
supports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus SZ-15 as a Street photography camera
Sony RX10 IV as a Street photography camera
60
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than others in class (250g)
no moving screen
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
64
screen tilts
has image stabilization (Optical)
nice sensor size (1")
supports RAW files
supports focus via touch
weather sealing
more heavy than average in class (1,095 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus SZ-15
Sports photography with Sony RX10 IV
53
excellent zoom range (23-483mm 21.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
supports tracking focus
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
has no phase detect auto focus
76
incredible zoom range (24-600mm 25.0 x zoom)
quiet mode (1/32,000 seconds)
fast continuous shooting (24.0 frames per second)
has image stabilization (Optical)
MP count good (20 megapixels)
nice sensor size (1")
has tracking autofocus
weather sealing
supports phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus SZ-15
Travel photography with Sony RX10 IV
68
lighter than others in class (250 grams)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
reasonably wide (23mm)
great zoom (483mm)
missing Timelapse recording
screen isn't selfie friendly
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
56
weather sealing
supports bluetooth
supports focus via touch
MP count good (20MP)
flash built-in
fairly wide (24mm)
long zoom (600mm)
doesn't have Timelapse mode
more heavy than average in class (1,095g)
display isn't selfie friendly
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.4)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus SZ-15 Landscape photography factors
Sony RX10 IV Landscape photography factors
49
focusing manually
reasonably wide (23mm)
pretty good screen size (3")
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
missing Timelapse recording
62
focusing manually
fairly wide (24mm)
screen size is good (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Optical)
MP count good (20 megapixels)
nice sensor size (1")
supports RAW files
weather sealing
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.4)
doesn't have Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus SZ-15 as a Vlogging camera
Sony RX10 IV as a Vlogging camera
34
reasonably wide (23mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
supports face detect focus
high video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than others in class (250 grams)
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
screen isn't selfie friendly
missing microphone jack
29
fairly wide (24mm)
touchscreen functionality
has image stabilization (Optical)
has face detection focusing
high quality video (3840 x 2160 pxls)
comes with external microphone support
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.4)
display isn't selfie friendly
more heavy than average in class (1,095g)
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Olympus SZ-15 vs Sony RX10 IV Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus SZ-15 and Sony RX10 IV
 Olympus SZ-15Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 IV
General Information
Make Olympus Sony
Model Olympus SZ-15 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 IV
Type Small Sensor Superzoom Large Sensor Superzoom
Announced 2013-06-21 2017-09-12
Physical type Compact SLR-like (bridge)
Sensor Information
Chip - Bionz X
Sensor type CCD BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1"
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 13.2 x 8.8mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 116.2mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 20 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 4608 x 3456 5472 x 3648
Max native ISO 3200 12800
Max enhanced ISO - 25600
Lowest native ISO 100 125
RAW support
Lowest enhanced ISO - 64
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Number of focus points - 315
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 23-483mm (21.0x) 24-600mm (25.0x)
Maximum aperture f/2.8-5.9 f/2.4-4.0
Macro focus range 5cm 3cm
Crop factor 5.8 2.7
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Tilting
Display sizing 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 460 thousand dots 1,440 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Display tech LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359 thousand dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.7x
Features
Min shutter speed 8s 30s
Max shutter speed 1/2000s 1/2000s
Max quiet shutter speed - 1/32000s
Continuous shutter rate 10.0fps 24.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 3.50 m 10.80 m (at Auto ISO)
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync Auto, fill-flash, slow sync, rear sync, off
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Max flash synchronize - 1/2000s
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
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)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 3840x2160
Video data format AVI MPEG4, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS BuiltIn None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 250 grams (0.55 pounds) 1095 grams (2.41 pounds)
Dimensions 108 x 70 x 40mm (4.3" x 2.8" x 1.6") 133 x 94 x 145mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 5.7")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Battery life - 400 photographs
Battery style - Battery Pack
Battery model SLB-10A NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, Double) Yes (2 or 10 sec, continuous)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo
Card slots Single Single
Cost at release $200 $1,698