Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Sony NEX-7

Its time to take a more detailed look at the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Sony NEX-7, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Advanced Mirrorless by brands Olympus and Sony. There exists a considerable gap among the sensor resolutions of the SZ-31MR iHS (16MP) and NEX-7 (24MP) and the SZ-31MR iHS (1/2.3") and NEX-7 (APS-C) come with different sensor measurements.

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The SZ-31MR iHS was brought out 2 months later than the NEX-7 so they are both of a similar age. Each of these cameras offer different body type with the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS being a Compact camera and the Sony NEX-7 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving in to a step-by-step comparison, below is a concise overview of how the SZ-31MR iHS grades vs the NEX-7 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus SZ-31MR iHS & Sony Alpha NEX-7. The entire galleries are available at Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Gallery & Sony NEX-7 Gallery.

In case you're planning to lug around your camera regularly, you're going to have to take into account its weight and measurements. The Olympus SZ-31MR iHS provides outside 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 NEX-7 has proportions of 120mm x 67mm x 43mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 1.7") with a weight of 400 grams (0.88 lbs).

Check out the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Sony NEX-7 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you are using at that time. Following is the front view overall size comparison of the SZ-31MR iHS and the NEX-7.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the SZ-31MR iHS and NEX-7 is 89 and 84 respectively.

Sometimes, its tough to picture the contrast in sensor measurements only by checking out technical specs. The graphic below might offer you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the SZ-31MR iHS and NEX-7.

As you can tell, each of these cameras offer different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The SZ-31MR iHS due to its smaller sensor is going to make shooting shallow depth of field tougher and the Sony NEX-7 will provide greater detail having its extra 8 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also make it easier to crop pics a little more aggressively.