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Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Olympus VH-515

Portability
89
Imaging
39
Features
47
Overall
42
Olympus SZ-31MR iHS front
 
Olympus VH-515 front
Portability
95
Imaging
36
Features
34
Overall
35

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Olympus VH-515 Key Specs

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-600mm (F3.0-6.9) lens
  • 226g - 106 x 69 x 40mm
  • Introduced February 2012
Olympus VH-515
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 1600
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 26-130mm (F2.8-6.5) lens
  • 152g - 102 x 60 x 21mm
  • Introduced August 2012
Photography Glossary

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Olympus VH-515 Overview

Below, we will be matching up the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS versus Olympus VH-515, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact and both are created by Olympus. There is a considerable difference among the image resolutions of the SZ-31MR iHS (16MP) and VH-515 (12MP) but they feature the exact same sensor sizes (1/2.3").

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The SZ-31MR iHS was brought out 6 months before the VH-515 which means that they are of a similar age. Both the cameras come with the identical body type (Compact).

Before going straight into a step-by-step comparison, below is a quick introduction of how the SZ-31MR iHS grades versus the VH-515 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-31MR iHS over the Olympus VH-515

 SZ-31MR iHS VH-515 
Screen resolution920k460kClearer screen (+460k dot)

Reasons to pick Olympus VH-515 over the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS

 VH-515 SZ-31MR iHS 

Common features in the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS and Olympus VH-515

 SZ-31MR iHS VH-515 
IntroducedFebruary 2012August 2012Same age
Manual focus No manual focus
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen dimensions
Selfie screen Lacking selfie screen
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Olympus VH-515 Physical Comparison

If you are looking to travel with your camera often, you are going to need to consider its weight and measurements. The Olympus SZ-31MR iHS provides outside measurements of 106mm x 69mm x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") with a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs) whilst the Olympus VH-515 has proportions of 102mm x 60mm x 21mm (4.0" x 2.4" x 0.8") and a weight of 152 grams (0.34 lbs).

Check out the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS versus Olympus VH-515 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you are utilising during that time. The following is the front view size comparison of the SZ-31MR iHS versus the VH-515.

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Olympus VH-515 size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability score of the SZ-31MR iHS and VH-515 is 89 and 95 respectively.

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Olympus VH-515 top view buttons comparison

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Olympus VH-515 Sensor Comparison

Often, it is hard to see the contrast in sensor dimensions simply by viewing specifications. The pic underneath should give you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the SZ-31MR iHS and VH-515.

To sum up, the two cameras have got the exact same sensor measurements albeit not the same megapixels. You can expect the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS to render greater detail having its extra 4MP. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop photographs much more aggressively.

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Olympus VH-515 sensor size comparison

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Olympus VH-515 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Olympus VH-515 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus SZ-31MR iHS
Portrait photography with Olympus VH-515
34
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
provides face detection autofocus
manual focus not available
no manual mode
cannot use external flash
small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
27
supports face detection focusing
manual focus not available
lack of manual exposure
cannot use external flash
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Street photography information
Olympus VH-515 Street photography information
64
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
offers focus via touch
lighter than competition (226g)
no moving screen
small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
62
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
boasts touch focus
no articulating screen
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Sports photography features
Olympus VH-515 Sports photography features
44
incredible zoom range (25-600mm 24.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
provides tracking autofocus
lack of shutter priority mode
small sensor size (1/2.3")
not so great battery life (200 per charge)
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
32
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
supports tracking autofocus
continuous shooting slow (2.0 fps)
no shutter priority mode
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Travel photography factors
Olympus VH-515 Travel photography factors
67
lighter than competition (226g)
offers focus via touch
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
really wide (25mm)
very long reach (600mm)
missing Timelapse mode
not so great battery life (200 CIPA)
does not feature selfie friendly screen
sluggish max aperture (f3.0)
62
boasts touch focus
built-in flash
fairly wide (26mm)
doesn't have Time Lapse function
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
display is not selfie friendly
slow max aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Landscape photography highlights
Olympus VH-515 Landscape photography highlights
41
really wide (25mm)
nice screen size (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
manual focus not available
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.0)
no manual mode
small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
not so great battery life (200 CIPA)
missing Timelapse mode
37
fairly wide (26mm)
screen is a good size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
manual focus not available
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f2.8)
lack of manual exposure
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
doesn't have Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus SZ-31MR iHS
Vlogging with Olympus VH-515
35
really wide (25mm)
screen is touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
provides face detection autofocus
great video quality (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lighter than competition (226 grams)
sluggish max aperture (f3.0)
does not feature selfie friendly screen
missing external microphone port
35
fairly wide (26mm)
touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
supports face detection focusing
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
slow max aperture (f2.8)
display is not selfie friendly
doesn't have external mic socket
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Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Olympus VH-515 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus SZ-31MR iHS and Olympus VH-515
 Olympus SZ-31MR iHSOlympus VH-515
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Olympus
Model type Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Olympus VH-515
Type Small Sensor Superzoom Small Sensor Compact
Introduced 2012-02-08 2012-08-21
Physical type Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Chip Dual TruePic V TruePic III+
Sensor type BSI-CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 12 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 4:3 and 16:9
Max resolution 4608 x 3456 4608 x 3456
Max native ISO 6400 1600
Min native ISO 80 100
RAW files
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Cross type focus points - -
Lens
Lens support fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 25-600mm (24.0x) 26-130mm (5.0x)
Maximum aperture f/3.0-6.9 f/2.8-6.5
Macro focusing distance 1cm 5cm
Crop factor 5.8 5.8
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display sizing 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 920 thousand dots 460 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Display technology Hypercrystal III TFT Color LCD TFT Color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Min shutter speed 4 seconds 4 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/1700 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Continuous shutter rate 7.0 frames/s 2.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 9.30 m 4.70 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
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 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30,15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 180 (30,15 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, H.264
Mic port
Headphone port
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 None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 226 grams (0.50 lb) 152 grams (0.34 lb)
Dimensions 106 x 69 x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") 102 x 60 x 21mm (4.0" x 2.4" x 0.8")
DXO scores
DXO Overall 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 200 photographs -
Battery type Battery Pack -
Battery ID LI-50B LI-50B
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, pet auto shutter) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots One One
Retail price $0 $648