Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Sony RX100 VA

Lets look a little more closely at the Olympus SZ-16 iHS and Sony RX100 VA, one is a Small Sensor Superzoom and the other is a Large Sensor Compact by companies Olympus and Sony. The sensor resolution of the SZ-16 iHS (16MP) and the RX100 VA (20MP) is fairly similar but the SZ-16 iHS (1/2.3") and RX100 VA (1") possess different sensor size.

Photography Glossary

The SZ-16 iHS was launched 6 years earlier than the RX100 VA which is quite a significant gap as far as tech is concerned. Both of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus SZ-16 iHS being a Compact camera and the Sony RX100 VA being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before going straight into a complete comparison, below is a short summary of how the SZ-16 iHS scores versus the RX100 VA when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus SZ-16 iHS and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 V(A). The complete galleries are provided at Olympus SZ-16 iHS Gallery and Sony RX100 VA Gallery.

If you're looking to carry around your camera often, you will need to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Olympus SZ-16 iHS enjoys outside dimensions of 108mm x 70mm x 40mm (4.3" x 2.8" x 1.6") accompanied by a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs) whilst the Sony RX100 VA has dimensions of 102mm x 58mm x 41mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.6") and a weight of 299 grams (0.66 lbs).

Look at the Olympus SZ-16 iHS and Sony RX100 VA in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you have at the time. Underneath is the front view size comparison of the SZ-16 iHS vs the RX100 VA.

Looking at size and weight, the portability score of the SZ-16 iHS and RX100 VA is 89 and 89 respectively.

Generally, it is very tough to picture the contrast between sensor sizes just by reviewing a spec sheet. The image here may give you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the SZ-16 iHS and RX100 VA.

As you can see, both of those cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The SZ-16 iHS due to its tinier sensor is going to make getting shallow DOF more difficult and the Sony RX100 VA will deliver more detail utilizing its extra 4MP. Greater resolution can also allow you to crop photos somewhat more aggressively. The more aged SZ-16 iHS is going to be behind in sensor technology.