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Olympus SZ-15 vs Sony RX100 III

Portability
88
Imaging
40
Features
50
Overall
44
Olympus SZ-15 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 III front
Portability
89
Imaging
51
Features
77
Overall
61

Olympus SZ-15 vs Sony RX100 III Key Specs

Olympus SZ-15
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • 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 III
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 125 - 12800
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-70mm (F1.8-2.8) lens
  • 290g - 102 x 58 x 41mm
  • Introduced May 2014
  • Earlier Model is Sony RX100 II
  • Updated by Sony RX100 IV
Photography Glossary

Olympus SZ-15 vs Sony RX100 III Overview

Below is a detailed analysis of the Olympus SZ-15 and Sony RX100 III, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Large Sensor Compact by companies Olympus and Sony. The resolution of the SZ-15 (16MP) and the RX100 III (20MP) is very comparable but the SZ-15 (1/2.3") and RX100 III (1") boast different sensor dimensions.

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The SZ-15 was released 10 months earlier than the RX100 III so they are both of a similar age. Each of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus SZ-15 being a Compact camera and the Sony RX100 III being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before diving right into a full comparison, here is a concise view of how the SZ-15 grades vs the RX100 III when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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

 SZ-15 RX100 III 

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

 RX100 III SZ-15 
IntroducedMay 2014June 2013More recent by 10 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display resolution1229k460kCrisper display (+769k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies

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

 SZ-15 RX100 III 
Focus manually More exact focusing
Display size3"3"Same display sizing
Touch display Missing Touch display

Olympus SZ-15 vs Sony RX100 III Physical Comparison

For those who are looking to lug around your camera regularly, you'll have to factor its weight and measurements. The Olympus SZ-15 has got outer dimensions of 108mm x 70mm x 40mm (4.3" x 2.8" x 1.6") along with a weight of 250 grams (0.55 lbs) and the Sony RX100 III has proportions of 102mm x 58mm x 41mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.6") having a weight of 290 grams (0.64 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus SZ-15 and Sony RX100 III in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you are utilizing at the time. Following is a front view over all size comparison of the SZ-15 vs the RX100 III.

Olympus SZ-15 vs Sony RX100 III size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the SZ-15 and RX100 III is 88 and 89 respectively.

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

Olympus SZ-15 vs Sony RX100 III Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it is very difficult to visualize the gap in sensor measurements merely by seeing specifications. The photograph below will help offer you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the SZ-15 and RX100 III.

Plainly, each of these cameras feature different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The SZ-15 featuring a smaller sensor is going to make achieving bokeh more difficult and the Sony RX100 III will show greater detail as a result of its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also help you crop pics way more aggressively. The older SZ-15 will be behind in sensor innovation.

Olympus SZ-15 vs Sony RX100 III sensor size comparison

Olympus SZ-15 vs Sony RX100 III Screen and ViewFinder

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

Portrait Comparison

Olympus SZ-15 Portrait photography highlights
Sony RX100 III Portrait photography highlights
44
you can focus manually
decent MP (16 megapixels)
includes face detection focusing
external flash not possible
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
64
has manual focus
flash sync is higher than normal (1/2,000s)
MP count decent (20 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (1")
offers face detection autofocus
exports RAW files
can't use external flash
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Street Comparison

Olympus SZ-15 Street photography factors
Sony RX100 III Street photography factors
60
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition in class (250g)
no articulating screen
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
85
tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Optical)
sensor size is decent (1")
exports RAW files
lighter than others in class (290 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus SZ-15 Sports photography info
Sony RX100 III Sports photography info
53
great zoom range (23-483mm 21.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (16MP)
includes tracking autofocus
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect AF
65
built in image stabilization (Optical)
MP count decent (20 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (1")
offers tracking autofocus
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus SZ-15 Travel photography highlights
Sony RX100 III Travel photography highlights
68
lighter than competition in class (250 grams)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
reasonably wide (23mm)
great reach (483mm)
missing Timelapse recording
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
85
lighter than others in class (290g)
MP count decent (20 megapixels)
built-in flash
screen is selfie friendly
really wide (24mm)
very good max aperture (f1.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus SZ-15 Landscape photography advice
Sony RX100 III Landscape photography advice
49
you can focus manually
reasonably wide (23mm)
nice screen size (3")
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
missing Timelapse recording
73
has manual focus
really wide (24mm)
very good max aperture (f1.8)
screen is a decent size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
MP count decent (20MP)
sensor size is decent (1")
exports RAW files
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus SZ-15 Vlogging highlights
Sony RX100 III Vlogging highlights
34
reasonably wide (23mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
includes face detection focusing
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
lighter than competition in class (250g)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
missing external microphone socket
80
really wide (24mm)
very good max aperture (f1.8)
screen is selfie friendly
built in image stabilization (Optical)
offers face detection autofocus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than others in class (290g)
no external mic port
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Olympus SZ-15 vs Sony RX100 III Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus SZ-15 and Sony RX100 III
 Olympus SZ-15Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 III
General Information
Make Olympus Sony
Model Olympus SZ-15 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 III
Type Small Sensor Superzoom Large Sensor Compact
Released 2013-06-21 2014-05-15
Body design Compact Large Sensor Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by - Bionz X
Sensor type CCD BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1"
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 13.2 x 8.8mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 116.2mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 20 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4608 x 3456 5472 x 3648
Maximum native ISO 3200 12800
Lowest native ISO 100 125
RAW data
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Number of focus points - 25
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 23-483mm (21.0x) 24-70mm (2.9x)
Maximal aperture f/2.8-5.9 f/1.8-2.8
Macro focus range 5cm 5cm
Crop factor 5.8 2.7
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Tilting
Screen sizing 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 460k dot 1,229k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Screen technology LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,440k dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.59x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 8 seconds 30 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 10.0 frames per sec 10.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 3.50 m -
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync -
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Highest flash sync - 1/2000 seconds
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) 1920 x 1080 (60p/60i/24p), 1280 x 720 (60p/30p/24p/120p), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data format AVI MPEG4, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Mic jack
Headphone jack
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 seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 250 grams (0.55 pounds) 290 grams (0.64 pounds)
Physical dimensions 108 x 70 x 40mm (4.3" x 2.8" x 1.6") 102 x 58 x 41mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.6")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested 67
DXO Color Depth score not tested 22.4
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 12.3
DXO Low light score not tested 495
Other
Battery life - 320 shots
Style of battery - Battery Pack
Battery model SLB-10A NP-BX1
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, Double) Yes (2 or 10 sec, self-portrait, continuous)
Time lapse feature With downloadable app
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots One One
Launch pricing $200 $748