Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Sony A230

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.

Photography Glossary

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.

Below is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus SZ-31MR iHS and Sony Alpha DSLR-A230. The entire galleries are available at Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Gallery and Sony A230 Gallery.

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.

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.

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

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.