Clicky

Olympus SZ-30MR vs Sony A65

Portability
89
Imaging
39
Features
39
Overall
39
Olympus SZ-30MR front
 
Sony SLT-A65 front
Portability
64
Imaging
63
Features
85
Overall
71

Olympus SZ-30MR vs Sony A65 Key Specs

Olympus SZ-30MR
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-600mm (F3.0-6.9) lens
  • 226g - 106 x 69 x 40mm
  • Launched March 2011
Sony A65
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 100 - 12800 (Push to 25600)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 622g - 132 x 97 x 81mm
  • Introduced November 2011
  • Replacement is Sony A68
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Olympus SZ-30MR vs Sony A65 Overview

Let's look a bit more in depth at the Olympus SZ-30MR and Sony A65, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by competitors Olympus and Sony. There is a large difference among the resolutions of the SZ-30MR (16MP) and A65 (24MP) and the SZ-30MR (1/2.3") and A65 (APS-C) possess totally different sensor sizes.

Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

The SZ-30MR was released 8 months prior to the A65 so they are of a similar age. Both of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus SZ-30MR being a Compact camera and the Sony A65 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before delving straight into a more detailed comparison, below is a concise highlight of how the SZ-30MR scores vs the A65 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-30MR over the Sony A65

 SZ-30MR A65 

Reasons to pick Sony A65 over the Olympus SZ-30MR

 A65 SZ-30MR 
IntroducedNovember 2011March 2011More modern by 8 months
Focus manually Dial accurate focusing
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen resolution921k460kSharper screen (+461k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Common features in the Olympus SZ-30MR and Sony A65

 SZ-30MR A65 
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen dimensions
Touch screen Neither provides Touch screen

Olympus SZ-30MR vs Sony A65 Physical Comparison

If you are going to carry around your camera often, you will need to consider its weight and measurements. The Olympus SZ-30MR provides exterior dimensions of 106mm x 69mm x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") with a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs) and the Sony A65 has proportions of 132mm x 97mm x 81mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 3.2") accompanied by a weight of 622 grams (1.37 lbs).

Examine the Olympus SZ-30MR and Sony A65 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you select at that time. Underneath is the front view scale comparison of the SZ-30MR versus the A65.

Olympus SZ-30MR vs Sony A65 size comparison

Using size and weight, the portability rating of the SZ-30MR and A65 is 89 and 64 respectively.

Olympus SZ-30MR vs Sony A65 top view buttons comparison

Olympus SZ-30MR vs Sony A65 Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, its hard to visualise the contrast in sensor sizes purely by looking through specifications. The image underneath will help give you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the SZ-30MR and A65.

To sum up, the 2 cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The SZ-30MR featuring a smaller sensor will make achieving shallower DOF harder and the Sony A65 will result in more detail as a result of its extra 8MP. Higher resolution will also help you crop photographs much more aggressively. The more aged SZ-30MR will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.

Olympus SZ-30MR vs Sony A65 sensor size comparison

Olympus SZ-30MR vs Sony A65 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus SZ-30MR vs Sony A65 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus SZ-30MR Portrait photography highlights
Sony A65 Portrait photography highlights
34
MP count decent (16MP)
includes face detect focus
lack of manual focus
manual mode not possible
external flash not possible
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
no RAW format
77
has manual focus
decent MP (24MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
includes face detect focus
saves RAW formats
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Street Comparison

Olympus SZ-30MR Street photography information
Sony A65 Street photography information
60
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than competitors (226g)
no moving screen
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
no RAW format
77
screen can move to multiple angles
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
Photography Glossary

Sports Comparison

Olympus SZ-30MR Sports photography factors
Sony A65 Sports photography factors
41
amazing zoom range (25-600mm 24.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
includes tracking focus
very slow continuous shooting (2.0 frames per second)
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
not so great battery (220 shots)
no phase detect auto focus
81
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent MP (24MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
includes tracking focus
supports phase detect auto focus
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

Travel Comparison

Olympus SZ-30MR Travel photography factors
Sony A65 Travel photography factors
65
lighter than competitors (226 grams)
MP count decent (16MP)
flash built-in
pretty wide (25mm)
long zoom (600mm)
does not have Timelapse recording
not so great battery (220 per charge)
screen isn't selfie friendly
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
68
decent MP (24MP)
flash built-in
selfie friendly screen
doesn't have Timelapse function
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus SZ-30MR
Landscape photography with Sony A65
41
pretty wide (25mm)
nice screen size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
MP count decent (16MP)
lack of manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
manual mode not possible
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
no RAW format
not so great battery (220 per charge)
does not have Timelapse recording
75
has manual focus
swap lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
nice screen size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent MP (24MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
doesn't have Timelapse function
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus SZ-30MR Vlogging features
Sony A65 Vlogging features
34
pretty wide (25mm)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
includes face detect focus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than competitors (226g)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
screen isn't selfie friendly
does not have microphone port
78
selfie friendly screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
includes face detect focus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
comes with microphone jack
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

Olympus SZ-30MR vs Sony A65 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus SZ-30MR and Sony A65
 Olympus SZ-30MRSony SLT-A65
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus SZ-30MR Sony SLT-A65
Type Small Sensor Superzoom Entry-Level DSLR
Launched 2011-03-02 2011-11-15
Body design Compact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic III+ 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 area 28.1mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 24 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4608 x 3456 6000 x 4000
Maximum native ISO 3200 12800
Maximum boosted ISO - 25600
Lowest native ISO 80 100
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Total focus points - 15
Cross type focus points - 3
Lens
Lens support fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens zoom range 25-600mm (24.0x) -
Largest aperture f/3.0-6.9 -
Macro focusing range 1cm -
Available lenses - 143
Focal length multiplier 5.8 1.5
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Screen diagonal 3 inch 3 inch
Screen resolution 460 thousand dot 921 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Screen tech TFT Hypercrystal III Color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.73x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 4s 30s
Maximum shutter speed 1/1700s 1/4000s
Continuous shooting speed 2.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 4.00 m 10.00 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash sync - 1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps)1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 180 (30fps) 1920 x 1080 (60, 24 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 640 x 424 (29.97 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data format MPEG-4 MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected 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 226g (0.50 lb) 622g (1.37 lb)
Dimensions 106 x 69 x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") 132 x 97 x 81mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 3.2")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested 74
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 23.4
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 12.6
DXO Low light rating not tested 717
Other
Battery life 220 images 560 images
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID LI-50B NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) 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
Cost at launch $279 $700