Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Sony A6500

Here is a in depth assessment of the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS and Sony A6500, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Advanced Mirrorless by brands Olympus and Sony. There is a large difference among the image resolutions of the SZ-31MR iHS (16MP) and A6500 (24MP) and the SZ-31MR iHS (1/2.3") and A6500 (APS-C) provide totally different sensor dimensions.

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The SZ-31MR iHS was brought out 5 years prior to the A6500 and that is a fairly serious difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS being a Compact camera and the Sony A6500 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before we go into a more detailed comparison, here is a short highlight of how the SZ-31MR iHS scores vs the A6500 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

This is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus SZ-31MR iHS & Sony Alpha a6500. The entire galleries are provided at Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Gallery & Sony A6500 Gallery.

If you are going to carry your camera frequently, you're going to have to factor its weight and proportions. The Olympus SZ-31MR iHS comes with 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 Sony A6500 has measurements of 120mm x 67mm x 53mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 2.1") having a weight of 453 grams (1.00 lbs).

Look at the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS and Sony A6500 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you are employing during that time. Below is a front view dimensions comparison of the SZ-31MR iHS vs the A6500.

Looking at size and weight, the portability rating of the SZ-31MR iHS and A6500 is 89 and 81 respectively.

Generally, it is hard to see the difference in sensor sizing only by looking through specs. The visual below should give you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the SZ-31MR iHS and A6500.

All in all, each of these cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The SZ-31MR iHS because of its smaller sensor will make shooting shallow depth of field harder and the Sony A6500 will provide you with greater detail having its extra 8MP. Higher resolution will also help you crop pictures a good deal more aggressively. The older SZ-31MR iHS will be behind in sensor innovation.