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Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Sony A230

Portability
89
Imaging
39
Features
47
Overall
42
Olympus SZ-31MR iHS front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A230 front
Portability
69
Imaging
50
Features
40
Overall
46

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Sony A230 Key Specs

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-600mm (F3.0-6.9) lens
  • 226g - 106 x 69 x 40mm
  • Released February 2012
Sony A230
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 490g - 128 x 97 x 68mm
  • Introduced May 2009
  • Earlier Model is Sony A200
  • Renewed by Sony A290
Photography Glossary

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Sony A230 Overview

Its time to look more in depth at the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS and Sony A230, one being a Small Sensor Superzoom and the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by brands Olympus and Sony. There exists a sizeable gap among the image resolutions of the SZ-31MR iHS (16MP) and A230 (10MP) and the SZ-31MR iHS (1/2.3") and A230 (APS-C) have different sensor measurements.

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The SZ-31MR iHS was manufactured 2 years later than the A230 and that is a fairly large gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both the cameras have different body design with the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS being a Compact camera and the Sony A230 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before going straight to a complete comparison, here is a brief introduction of how the SZ-31MR iHS grades vs the A230 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-31MR iHS over the Sony A230

 SZ-31MR iHS A230 
IntroducedFebruary 2012May 2009More recent by 34 months
Screen dimensions3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution920k230kSharper screen (+690k dot)
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Sony A230 over the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS

 A230 SZ-31MR iHS 
Focus manually Very accurate focusing

Common features in the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS and Sony A230

 SZ-31MR iHS A230 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Neither features selfie screen

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Sony A230 Physical Comparison

If you are intending to lug around your camera regularly, you are going to need to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Olympus SZ-31MR iHS enjoys external measurements of 106mm x 69mm x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") along with a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs) whilst the Sony A230 has dimensions of 128mm x 97mm x 68mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.7") having a weight of 490 grams (1.08 lbs).

Check out the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS and Sony A230 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you have chosen during that time. Following is a front view overall size comparison of the SZ-31MR iHS against the A230.

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Sony A230 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the SZ-31MR iHS and A230 is 89 and 69 respectively.

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Sony A230 top view buttons comparison

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Sony A230 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it can be difficult to visualize the contrast in sensor measurements simply by researching specifications. The visual underneath will provide you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the SZ-31MR iHS and A230.

To sum up, both of those cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The SZ-31MR iHS featuring a smaller sensor is going to make shooting shallow DOF more difficult and the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS will render more detail due to its extra 6MP. Higher resolution will enable you to crop photographs more aggressively. The younger SZ-31MR iHS provides an advantage in sensor innovation.

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Sony A230 sensor size comparison

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Sony A230 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Sony A230 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Portrait photography features
Sony A230 Portrait photography features
34
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
offers face detection autofocus
lack of manual focus
no manual control
no external flash support
sensor is small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
54
manual focus
sensor size is good (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
no liveview feature
sensor resolution not great (10 megapixels)
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Street Comparison

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Street photography features
Sony A230 Street photography features
64
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
provides touch focus
lighter than others in class (226g)
fixed screen
sensor is small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
67
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
fixed screen
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Sports Comparison

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS as a Sports photography camera
Sony A230 as a Sports photography camera
44
amazing zoom range (25-600mm 24.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent megapixels (16MP)
offers tracking autofocus
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor is small (1/2.3")
low battery pack (200 CIPA)
lacks phase detect autofocus
46
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
has phase detect AF
no liveview feature
slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames per second)
sensor resolution not great (10 megapixels)
low battery life (230 CIPA)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Travel photography info
Sony A230 Travel photography info
67
lighter than others in class (226g)
provides touch focus
decent megapixels (16MP)
has built in flash
reasonably wide (25mm)
long reach (600mm)
does not have Time Lapse function
low battery pack (200 CIPA)
does not posses selfie friendly screen
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
45
has built in flash
missing Time Lapse function
low battery life (230 shots)
sensor resolution not great (10 megapixels)
screen isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS as a Landscape photography camera
Sony A230 as a Landscape photography camera
41
reasonably wide (25mm)
decent sized screen (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
lack of manual focus
can't switch lenses (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
no manual control
sensor is small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
low battery pack (200 per charge)
does not have Time Lapse function
51
manual focus
change lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
screen is somewhat small (2.7 inches)
no liveview feature
sensor resolution not great (10MP)
low battery life (230 per charge)
missing Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Vlogging factors
Sony A230 Vlogging factors
35
reasonably wide (25mm)
touchscreen functionality
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
offers face detection autofocus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lighter than others in class (226g)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
does not posses selfie friendly screen
does not have external mic support
9
lack of video recording
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Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Sony A230 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus SZ-31MR iHS and Sony A230
 Olympus SZ-31MR iHSSony Alpha DSLR-A230
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Sony
Model Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Sony Alpha DSLR-A230
Type Small Sensor Superzoom Entry-Level DSLR
Released 2012-02-08 2009-05-18
Physical type Compact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Dual TruePic V Bionz
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 23.5 x 15.7mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 369.0mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 10 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 4608 x 3456 3872 x 2592
Max native ISO 6400 3200
Lowest native ISO 80 100
RAW support
Autofocusing
Manual focus
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Number of focus points - 9
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens focal range 25-600mm (24.0x) -
Largest aperture f/3.0-6.9 -
Macro focus range 1cm -
Total lenses - 143
Focal length multiplier 5.8 1.5
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen size 3 inch 2.7 inch
Screen resolution 920 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Screen technology Hypercrystal III TFT Color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder coverage - 95%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.55x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 4 seconds 30 seconds
Fastest shutter speed 1/1700 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shutter rate 7.0fps 3.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 9.30 m 10.00 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Wireless
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize - 1/160 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 180 (30fps) -
Max video resolution 1920x1080 None
Video format MPEG-4, H.264 -
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 226 grams (0.50 pounds) 490 grams (1.08 pounds)
Physical dimensions 106 x 69 x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") 128 x 97 x 68mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.7")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested 63
DXO Color Depth score not tested 22.3
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 11.4
DXO Low light score not tested 531
Other
Battery life 200 images 230 images
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model LI-50B NP-FH50
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, pet auto shutter) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo
Card slots 1 1
Launch price $0 $569