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Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Sony A55

Portability
89
Imaging
40
Features
36
Overall
38
Olympus SZ-16 iHS front
 
Sony SLT-A55 front
Portability
67
Imaging
56
Features
80
Overall
65

Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Sony A55 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
  • Released January 2013
Sony A55
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 100 - 12800 (Boost to 25600)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 500g - 124 x 92 x 85mm
  • Released August 2010
  • Updated by Sony A57
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Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Sony A55 Overview

Here, we are comparing the Olympus SZ-16 iHS versus Sony A55, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Olympus and Sony. The sensor resolution of the SZ-16 iHS (16MP) and the A55 (16MP) is fairly well matched but the SZ-16 iHS (1/2.3") and A55 (APS-C) have different sensor measurements.

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The SZ-16 iHS was manufactured 2 years later than the A55 and that is quite a big difference as far as technology is concerned. Each of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus SZ-16 iHS being a Compact camera and the Sony A55 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before going into a comprehensive comparison, here is a brief summation of how the SZ-16 iHS matches up vs the A55 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-16 iHS over the Sony A55

 SZ-16 iHS A55 
ReleasedJanuary 2013August 2010More recent by 29 months

Reasons to pick Sony A55 over the Olympus SZ-16 iHS

 A55 SZ-16 iHS 
Manual focus Very precise focusing
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Display resolution921k460kClearer display (+461k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies

Common features in the Olympus SZ-16 iHS and Sony A55

 SZ-16 iHS A55 
Display size3"3"Same display measurements
Touch friendly display Lacking Touch friendly display

Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Sony A55 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is looking to lug around your camera often, you're going to have to think about its weight and proportions. The Olympus SZ-16 iHS has outer 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 A55 has measurements of 124mm x 92mm x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3") accompanied by a weight of 500 grams (1.10 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus SZ-16 iHS versus Sony A55 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you are using during that time. Underneath is a front view physical size comparison of the SZ-16 iHS versus the A55.

Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Sony A55 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability score of the SZ-16 iHS and A55 is 89 and 67 respectively.

Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Sony A55 top view buttons comparison

Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Sony A55 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it is difficult to picture the gap between sensor measurements simply by checking a spec sheet. The graphic here should give you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the SZ-16 iHS and A55.

Clearly, the 2 cameras feature the identical megapixel count but different sensor measurements. The SZ-16 iHS includes the tinier sensor which is going to make achieving shallow DOF trickier. The more modern SZ-16 iHS provides an edge when it comes to sensor tech.

Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Sony A55 sensor size comparison

Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Sony A55 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Sony A55 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus SZ-16 iHS as a Portrait photography camera
Sony A55 as a Portrait photography camera
35
MP count decent (16MP)
supports face detect autofocus
lack of manual focus
manual exposure not available
external flash not possible
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
73
focusing manually
MP count good (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
provides face detect focusing
saves RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus SZ-16 iHS as a Street photography camera
Sony A55 as a Street photography camera
61
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than competition (226g)
screen does not articulate
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
77
fully articulated screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus SZ-16 iHS
Sports photography with Sony A55
42
great zoom range (25-600mm 24.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
supports tracking focus
slow fps (2.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
terrible battery pack (220 CIPA)
does not have phase detect autofocus
68
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count good (16MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
sensor has phase detect AF
not so great battery (380 CIPA)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus SZ-16 iHS Travel photography factors
Sony A55 Travel photography factors
65
lighter than competition (226 grams)
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
reasonably wide (25mm)
very long reach (600mm)
lack of Timelapse function
terrible battery pack (220 CIPA)
screen is not selfie friendly
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
62
MP count good (16MP)
has built in flash
selfie friendly display
missing Timelapse mode
not so great battery (380 per charge)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus SZ-16 iHS Landscape photography advice
Sony A55 Landscape photography advice
41
reasonably wide (25mm)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
MP count decent (16MP)
lack of manual focus
can't swap lenses (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
manual exposure not available
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
terrible battery pack (220 CIPA)
lack of Timelapse function
67
focusing manually
switch lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen is a good size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count good (16MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
not so great battery (380 shots)
missing Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus SZ-16 iHS Vlogging advice
Sony A55 Vlogging advice
31
reasonably wide (25mm)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
supports face detect autofocus
lighter than competition (226 grams)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
screen is not selfie friendly
low video resolution (1280 x 720 resolution)
lack of microphone socket
78
selfie friendly display
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
provides face detect focusing
good video quality (1920 x 1080 pixels)
includes microphone port
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Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Sony A55 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus SZ-16 iHS and Sony A55
 Olympus SZ-16 iHSSony SLT-A55
General Information
Company Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus SZ-16 iHS Sony SLT-A55
Type Small Sensor Superzoom Entry-Level DSLR
Released 2013-01-08 2010-08-24
Body design Compact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Processor - Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 16MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio - 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4608 x 3456 4912 x 3264
Max native ISO 6400 12800
Max boosted ISO - 25600
Minimum native ISO 80 100
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points - 15
Cross type focus points - 3
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens zoom range 25-600mm (24.0x) -
Maximal aperture f/3.0-6.9 -
Available lenses - 143
Focal length multiplier 5.8 1.5
Screen
Range of display Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Display size 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 460k dot 921k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Display tech TFT Color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,150k dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.73x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 4 seconds 30 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 2.0 frames per sec 10.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance - 10.00 m (@ ISO 100)
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Maximum flash sync - 1/160 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 180 (30fps) 1920 x 1080 (60, 29.97 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 640 x 424 (29.97 fps)
Max video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 226 gr (0.50 pounds) 500 gr (1.10 pounds)
Physical dimensions 108 x 70 x 40mm (4.3" x 2.8" x 1.6") 124 x 92 x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested 73
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 23.0
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 12.4
DXO Low light rating not tested 816
Other
Battery life 220 photographs 380 photographs
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID LI-50B NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, pet auto shutter) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots Single Single
Price at launch $230 $800