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Olympus SZ-15 vs Sony RX100 II

Portability
88
Imaging
40
Features
50
Overall
44
Olympus SZ-15 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 II front
Portability
89
Imaging
51
Features
74
Overall
60

Olympus SZ-15 vs Sony RX100 II 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
  • Released June 2013
Sony RX100 II
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 160 - 12800 (Increase to 25600)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 28-100mm (F1.8-4.9) lens
  • 281g - 102 x 58 x 38mm
  • Launched June 2013
  • Superseded the Sony RX100
  • Replacement is Sony RX100 III
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Olympus SZ-15 vs Sony RX100 II Overview

Its time to take a deeper look at the Olympus SZ-15 vs Sony RX100 II, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Large Sensor Compact by rivals Olympus and Sony. The image resolution of the SZ-15 (16MP) and the RX100 II (20MP) is relatively similar but the SZ-15 (1/2.3") and RX100 II (1") boast totally different sensor measurements.

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The SZ-15 was brought out around the same time to the RX100 II which means that they are both of a similar age. The two cameras have different body design with the Olympus SZ-15 being a Compact camera and the Sony RX100 II being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before going right into a step-by-step comparison, here is a simple overview of how the SZ-15 scores versus the RX100 II when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-15 over the Sony RX100 II

 SZ-15 RX100 II 

Reasons to pick Sony RX100 II over the Olympus SZ-15

 RX100 II SZ-15 
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution1229k460kCrisper screen (+769k dot)

Common features in the Olympus SZ-15 and Sony RX100 II

 SZ-15 RX100 II 
LaunchedJune 2013June 2013Similar age
Focus manually Very accurate focusing
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen measurements
Selfie screen Absent selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Neither comes with Touch friendly screen

Olympus SZ-15 vs Sony RX100 II Physical Comparison

When you are intending to carry your camera frequently, you should take into account its weight and proportions. The Olympus SZ-15 comes with exterior 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) while the Sony RX100 II has measurements of 102mm x 58mm x 38mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.5") and a weight of 281 grams (0.62 lbs).

See the Olympus SZ-15 vs Sony RX100 II in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you have attached at that moment. Below is a front view sizing comparison of the SZ-15 against the RX100 II.

Olympus SZ-15 vs Sony RX100 II size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability rating of the SZ-15 and RX100 II is 88 and 89 respectively.

Olympus SZ-15 vs Sony RX100 II top view buttons comparison

Olympus SZ-15 vs Sony RX100 II Sensor Comparison

Usually, it is very difficult to see the difference between sensor sizing purely by reviewing specs. The graphic here might offer you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the SZ-15 and RX100 II.

As you can plainly see, the two cameras have different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The SZ-15 featuring a tinier sensor will make shooting shallower DOF more difficult and the Sony RX100 II will deliver greater detail having its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will allow you to crop pictures a bit more aggressively.

Olympus SZ-15 vs Sony RX100 II sensor size comparison

Olympus SZ-15 vs Sony RX100 II Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus SZ-15 vs Sony RX100 II Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus SZ-15 Portrait photography advice
Sony RX100 II Portrait photography advice
44
you can focus manually
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
offers face detection focus
external flash not possible
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
70
manual focus
great flash sync speed (1/2,000 seconds)
good MP (20 megapixels)
sensor size is good (1")
has face detection focus
supports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus SZ-15 Street photography highlights
Sony RX100 II Street photography highlights
60
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition (250 grams)
screen does not articulate
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
85
tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Optical)
sensor size is good (1")
supports RAW formats
lighter than competition (281 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus SZ-15 as a Sports photography camera
Sony RX100 II as a Sports photography camera
53
great zoom range (23-483mm 21.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (16MP)
offers tracking autofocus
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect auto focus
67
built in image stabilization (Optical)
good MP (20MP)
sensor size is good (1")
has tracking autofocus
good battery pack (350 per charge)
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus SZ-15 Travel photography info
Sony RX100 II Travel photography info
68
lighter than competition (250g)
decent megapixels (16MP)
has built in flash
really wide (23mm)
very long reach (483mm)
no Timelapse mode
screen is not selfie friendly
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
80
good battery pack (350 per charge)
lighter than competition (281 grams)
good MP (20 megapixels)
has built in flash
quite wide (28mm)
great max aperture (f1.8)
does not posses selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus SZ-15 Landscape photography features
Sony RX100 II Landscape photography features
49
you can focus manually
really wide (23mm)
nice screen size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
can't change lenses (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
no Timelapse mode
74
manual focus
quite wide (28mm)
great max aperture (f1.8)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
good MP (20 megapixels)
sensor size is good (1")
supports RAW formats
good battery pack (350 CIPA)
can't swap lens (fixed lens mount)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus SZ-15 Vlogging info
Sony RX100 II Vlogging info
34
really wide (23mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
offers face detection focus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
lighter than competition (250g)
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
screen is not selfie friendly
no external microphone jack
37
quite wide (28mm)
great max aperture (f1.8)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
has face detection focus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lighter than competition (281 grams)
does not posses selfie friendly display
doesn't have external microphone support
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Olympus SZ-15 vs Sony RX100 II Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus SZ-15 and Sony RX100 II
 Olympus SZ-15Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 II
General Information
Company Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus SZ-15 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 II
Type Small Sensor Superzoom Large Sensor Compact
Released 2013-06-21 2013-06-27
Physical type Compact Large Sensor Compact
Sensor Information
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1"
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 13.2 x 8.8mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 116.2mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 20 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4608 x 3456 5472 x 3648
Highest native ISO 3200 12800
Highest enhanced ISO - 25600
Minimum native ISO 100 160
RAW format
Minimum enhanced ISO - 100
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Total focus points - 25
Cross type focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 23-483mm (21.0x) 28-100mm (3.6x)
Maximum aperture f/2.8-5.9 f/1.8-4.9
Macro focusing distance 5cm 5cm
Crop factor 5.8 2.7
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Tilting
Display sizing 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 460k dots 1,229k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Display tech LCD Xtra Fine WhiteMagic TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Electronic (optional)
Features
Min shutter speed 8 seconds 30 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Continuous shutter rate 10.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 3.50 m 15.00 m (ISO Auto (W))
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Max flash synchronize - 1/2000 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
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) 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data format AVI MPEG4, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD
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 proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 250 gr (0.55 lb) 281 gr (0.62 lb)
Physical dimensions 108 x 70 x 40mm (4.3" x 2.8" x 1.6") 102 x 58 x 38mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.5")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested 67
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 22.5
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 12.4
DXO Low light rating not tested 483
Other
Battery life - 350 shots
Battery style - Battery Pack
Battery ID SLB-10A NP-BX1
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, Double) Yes (10 sec. / 2 sec. / Self-portrait One-person/ Self-portrait Two-person/ Self timer Continuous (3 or 5 shots))
Time lapse shooting With downloadable app
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo
Card slots One One
Retail price $200 $598