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Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Sony RX100 VA

Portability
89
Imaging
40
Features
36
Overall
38
Olympus SZ-16 iHS front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 V(A) front
Portability
89
Imaging
54
Features
77
Overall
63

Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Sony RX100 VA Key Specs

Olympus SZ-16 iHS
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-600mm (F3.0-6.9) lens
  • 226g - 108 x 70 x 40mm
  • Revealed January 2013
Sony RX100 VA
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 125 - 12800 (Bump to 25600)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • 24-70mm (F1.8-2.8) lens
  • 299g - 102 x 58 x 41mm
  • Introduced July 2018
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Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Sony RX100 VA Overview

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.

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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.

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Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-16 iHS over the Sony RX100 VA

 SZ-16 iHS RX100 VA 

Reasons to pick Sony RX100 VA over the Olympus SZ-16 iHS

 RX100 VA SZ-16 iHS 
IntroducedJuly 2018January 2013More modern by 67 months
Manually focus Very accurate focusing
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display resolution1229k460kSharper display (+769k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Common features in the Olympus SZ-16 iHS and Sony RX100 VA

 SZ-16 iHS RX100 VA 
Display dimension3"3"Identical display size
Touch friendly display Lacking Touch friendly display

Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Sony RX100 VA Physical Comparison

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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Sony RX100 VA size comparison

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

Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Sony RX100 VA top view buttons comparison

Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Sony RX100 VA Sensor Comparison

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.

Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Sony RX100 VA sensor size comparison

Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Sony RX100 VA Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Sony RX100 VA Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus SZ-16 iHS
Portrait photography with Sony RX100 VA
35
resolution is good (16MP)
includes face detection autofocus
lack of manual focus
manual mode not possible
can't use external flash
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
66
focusing manually
high flash sync speed (1/2,000 seconds)
good resolution (20MP)
decent sensor size (1")
comes with face detect focusing
delivers RAW files
external flash not possible
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Street Comparison

Olympus SZ-16 iHS Street photography info
Sony RX100 VA Street photography info
61
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than competition in class (226g)
screen does not articulate
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
86
screen tilts up and down
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor size (1")
delivers RAW files
lighter than others (299 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus SZ-16 iHS Sports photography advice
Sony RX100 VA Sports photography advice
42
long zoom range (25-600mm 24.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
resolution is good (16MP)
includes tracking autofocus
painfully slow continuous shooting (2.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority mode
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
low battery pack (220 per charge)
does not have phase detect autofocus
70
quiet shutter (1/32,000s)
fast continuous shooting (24.0 frames per second)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
good resolution (20 megapixels)
decent sensor size (1")
comes with tracking focus
supports phase detect AF
low battery life (220 per charge)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus SZ-16 iHS Travel photography information
Sony RX100 VA Travel photography information
65
lighter than competition in class (226 grams)
resolution is good (16MP)
has built in flash
quite wide (25mm)
very long zoom (600mm)
doesn't have Timelapse function
low battery pack (220 per charge)
does not have a selfie friendly display
sluggish max aperture (f3.0)
76
lighter than others (299 grams)
good resolution (20MP)
built-in flash
display is selfie friendly
fairly wide (24mm)
very good max aperture (f1.8)
doesn't have Timelapse recording
low battery life (220 per charge)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus SZ-16 iHS Landscape photography details
Sony RX100 VA Landscape photography details
41
quite wide (25mm)
screen is a good size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
resolution is good (16MP)
lack of manual focus
cannot switch lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.0)
manual mode not possible
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
low battery pack (220 CIPA)
doesn't have Timelapse function
66
focusing manually
fairly wide (24mm)
very good max aperture (f1.8)
screen size is good (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
good resolution (20 megapixels)
decent sensor size (1")
delivers RAW files
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
low battery life (220 shots)
doesn't have Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus SZ-16 iHS Vlogging features
Sony RX100 VA Vlogging features
31
quite wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
includes face detection autofocus
lighter than competition in class (226g)
sluggish max aperture (f3.0)
does not have a selfie friendly display
low video resolution (1280 x 720 pixels)
doesn't have external microphone socket
81
fairly wide (24mm)
very good max aperture (f1.8)
display is selfie friendly
built in image stabilization (Optical)
comes with face detect focusing
high quality video (3840 x 2160 pxls)
lighter than others (299g)
doesn't have microphone port
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Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Sony RX100 VA Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus SZ-16 iHS and Sony RX100 VA
 Olympus SZ-16 iHSSony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 V(A)
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Sony
Model Olympus SZ-16 iHS Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 V(A)
Class Small Sensor Superzoom Large Sensor Compact
Revealed 2013-01-08 2018-07-13
Body design Compact Large Sensor Compact
Sensor Information
Processor - Bionz X
Sensor type CMOS BSI-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 aliasing filter
Aspect ratio - 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4608 x 3456 5472 x 3648
Highest native ISO 6400 12800
Highest enhanced ISO - 25600
Min native ISO 80 125
RAW data
Min enhanced ISO - 80
Autofocusing
Manual focus
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Number of focus points - 315
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 25-600mm (24.0x) 24-70mm (2.9x)
Maximum aperture f/3.0-6.9 f/1.8-2.8
Macro focus range - 5cm
Focal length multiplier 5.8 2.7
Screen
Range of display Fixed Type Tilting
Display size 3 inches 3 inches
Display resolution 460 thousand dot 1,229 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Display tech TFT Color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.59x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 4s 30s
Fastest shutter speed 1/2000s 1/2000s
Fastest quiet shutter speed - 1/32000s
Continuous shutter speed 2.0fps 24.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range - 10.20 m (at Auto ISO)
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in Auto, Flash On, Slow Synchro, Rear Sync, Flash Off
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Fastest flash sync - 1/2000s
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 180 (30fps) 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM
Highest video resolution 1280x720 3840x2160
Video format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) NP-BX1 lithium-ion battery & USB charger
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 226 grams (0.50 lbs) 299 grams (0.66 lbs)
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 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 220 photographs 220 photographs
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model LI-50B NP-BX1
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, pet auto shutter) Yes
Time lapse recording
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots Single Single
Retail pricing $230 $998