Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Sony A300

Its time to look much closer at the Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Sony A300, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by rivals Olympus and Sony. There is a large difference among the sensor resolutions of the SZ-16 iHS (16MP) and A300 (10MP) and the SZ-16 iHS (1/2.3") and A300 (APS-C) have different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The SZ-16 iHS was released 5 years later than the A300 and that is a fairly serious difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus SZ-16 iHS being a Compact camera and the Sony A300 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving straight to a detailed comparison, here is a quick highlight of how the SZ-16 iHS scores versus the A300 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus SZ-16 iHS & Sony Alpha DSLR-A300. The complete galleries are viewable at Olympus SZ-16 iHS Gallery & Sony A300 Gallery.

If you are aiming to carry your camera, you will need to factor in its weight and size. The Olympus SZ-16 iHS has exterior measurements of 108mm x 70mm x 40mm (4.3" x 2.8" x 1.6") having a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs) whilst the Sony A300 has specifications of 131mm x 99mm x 75mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0") along with a weight of 632 grams (1.39 lbs).

See the Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Sony A300 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you select during that time. The following is a front view sizing comparison of the SZ-16 iHS vs the A300.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability rating of the SZ-16 iHS and A300 is 89 and 64 respectively.

Oftentimes, it can be difficult to imagine the gap in sensor sizing purely by checking out specifications. The visual here will help provide you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the SZ-16 iHS and A300.

Plainly, the two cameras feature different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The SZ-16 iHS because of its smaller sensor is going to make getting shallower DOF harder and the Olympus SZ-16 iHS will produce more detail as a result of its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution will help you crop photos way more aggressively. The younger SZ-16 iHS provides a benefit with regard to sensor innovation.