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Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Sony WX9

Portability
89
Imaging
40
Features
36
Overall
38
Olympus SZ-16 iHS front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX9 front
Portability
99
Imaging
39
Features
37
Overall
38

Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Sony WX9 Key Specs

Olympus SZ-16 iHS
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-600mm (F3.0-6.9) lens
  • 226g - 108 x 70 x 40mm
  • Released January 2013
Sony WX9
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-125mm (F2.6-6.3) lens
  • n/ag - 95 x 56 x 20mm
  • Announced January 2011
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Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Sony WX9 Overview

Below is a thorough review of the Olympus SZ-16 iHS versus Sony WX9, one being a Small Sensor Superzoom and the other is a Ultracompact by competitors Olympus and Sony. The resolution of the SZ-16 iHS (16MP) and the WX9 (16MP) is fairly comparable and both cameras have the same sensor size (1/2.3").

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The SZ-16 iHS was manufactured 2 years later than the WX9 and that is a fairly significant gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus SZ-16 iHS being a Compact camera and the Sony WX9 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before we go straight to a full comparison, here is a brief synopsis of how the SZ-16 iHS grades versus the WX9 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-16 iHS over the Sony WX9

 SZ-16 iHS WX9 
AnnouncedJanuary 2013January 2011More recent by 25 months

Reasons to pick Sony WX9 over the Olympus SZ-16 iHS

 WX9 SZ-16 iHS 
Display resolution921k460kCrisper display (+461k dot)

Common features in the Olympus SZ-16 iHS and Sony WX9

 SZ-16 iHS WX9 
Manually focus Lack of manual focusing
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display dimensions3"3"Equal display size
Selfie screen Neither provides selfie screen
Touch friendly display Neither provides Touch friendly display

Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Sony WX9 Physical Comparison

If you're intending to lug around your camera regularly, you should take into account its weight and volume. The Olympus SZ-16 iHS provides external 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) and the Sony WX9 has sizing of 95mm x 56mm x 20mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.8") having a weight of n/a grams (0.00 lbs).

Check out the Olympus SZ-16 iHS versus Sony WX9 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you are working with during that time. Here is a front view proportions comparison of the SZ-16 iHS vs the WX9.

Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Sony WX9 size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the SZ-16 iHS and WX9 is 89 and 99 respectively.

Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Sony WX9 top view buttons comparison

Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Sony WX9 Sensor Comparison

In many cases, it's difficult to envision the contrast in sensor measurements merely by seeing specs. The visual underneath might offer you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the SZ-16 iHS and WX9.

All in all, both of these cameras have the same sensor dimensions and the exact same resolution so you should expect comparable quality of photos however you should consider the release date of the cameras into account. The newer SZ-16 iHS is going to have a benefit when it comes to sensor tech.

Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Sony WX9 sensor size comparison

Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Sony WX9 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Sony WX9 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus SZ-16 iHS Portrait photography highlights
Sony WX9 Portrait photography highlights
35
decent MP (16MP)
has face detect focus
manual focus not available
lack of manual exposure
can't use external flash
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
30
decent MP (16 megapixels)
focusing manually not possible
manual exposure not available
external flash not possible
small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW support
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Street Comparison

Olympus SZ-16 iHS Street photography highlights
Sony WX9 Street photography highlights
61
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than competition in class (226g)
fixed screen
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
59
image stabilization (Optical)
screen is fixed
small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus SZ-16 iHS
Sports photography with Sony WX9
42
amazing zoom range (25-600mm 24.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent MP (16MP)
has tracking focus
max fps low (2.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
not so great battery power (220 CIPA)
does not have phase detect auto focus
39
image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (16MP)
no shutter priority
small sensor (1/2.3")
no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus SZ-16 iHS
Travel photography with Sony WX9
65
lighter than competition in class (226 grams)
decent MP (16MP)
flash built-in
reasonably wide (25mm)
very long zoom (600mm)
does not have Time Lapse recording
not so great battery power (220 shots)
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
67
decent MP (16MP)
has built in flash
pretty wide (25mm)
missing Timelapse mode
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
slow maximum aperture (f2.6)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus SZ-16 iHS as a Landscape photography camera
Sony WX9 as a Landscape photography camera
41
reasonably wide (25mm)
nice screen size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent MP (16MP)
manual focus not available
cannot change lenses (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
lack of manual exposure
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
not so great battery power (220 per charge)
does not have Time Lapse recording
43
pretty wide (25mm)
screen is a decent size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (16MP)
focusing manually not possible
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f2.6)
manual exposure not available
small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW support
missing Timelapse mode
Photography Glossary

Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus SZ-16 iHS
Vlogging with Sony WX9
31
reasonably wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
has face detect focus
lighter than competition in class (226 grams)
slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
low res video (1280 x 720 resolution)
does not have mic socket
33
pretty wide (25mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
slow maximum aperture (f2.6)
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
missing external microphone socket
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Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Sony WX9 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus SZ-16 iHS and Sony WX9
 Olympus SZ-16 iHSSony Cyber-shot DSC-WX9
General Information
Company Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus SZ-16 iHS Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX9
Type Small Sensor Superzoom Ultracompact
Released 2013-01-08 2011-01-06
Physical type Compact Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Powered by - BIONZ
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 16 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio - 4:3 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4608 x 3456 4608 x 3456
Maximum native ISO 6400 3200
Min native ISO 80 100
RAW format
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Total focus points - 9
Cross type focus points - -
Lens
Lens support fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 25-600mm (24.0x) 25-125mm (5.0x)
Maximum aperture f/3.0-6.9 f/2.6-6.3
Macro focusing distance - 5cm
Crop factor 5.8 5.8
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen sizing 3" 3"
Resolution of screen 460k dots 921k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Screen tech TFT Color LCD XtraFine LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Slowest shutter speed 4 secs 2 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/1600 secs
Continuous shooting rate 2.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance - 5.30 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 180 (30fps) 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 226 gr (0.50 lb) -
Physical dimensions 108 x 70 x 40mm (4.3" x 2.8" x 1.6") 95 x 56 x 20mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.8")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 220 pictures -
Battery type Battery Pack -
Battery ID LI-50B NP-BN1
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, pet auto shutter) Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Duo/Memory Stick Pro Duo, Memory Stick Pro-HG Duo
Card slots 1 1
Cost at launch $230 $188