Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Sony QX100

Its time to look more closely at the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS versus Sony QX100, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Lens-style by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. The sensor resolution of the SZ-31MR iHS (16MP) and the QX100 (20MP) is fairly similar but the SZ-31MR iHS (1/2.3") and QX100 (1") posses totally different sensor sizes.

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The SZ-31MR iHS was manufactured 19 months prior to the QX100 making them a generation away from one another. Both the cameras have different body design with the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS being a Compact camera and the Sony QX100 being a Lens-style camera.

Before diving straight to a in-depth comparison, here is a quick introduction of how the SZ-31MR iHS scores against the QX100 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Here is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus SZ-31MR iHS & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-QX100. The entire galleries are viewable at Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Gallery & Sony QX100 Gallery.

If you are aiming to travel with your camera frequently, you should factor its weight and volume. The Olympus SZ-31MR iHS offers outside dimensions of 106mm x 69mm x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") and a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs) while the Sony QX100 has sizing of 63mm x 63mm x 56mm (2.5" x 2.5" x 2.2") having a weight of 179 grams (0.39 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS versus Sony QX100 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you use at the time. Below is a front view size comparison of the SZ-31MR iHS vs the QX100.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the SZ-31MR iHS and QX100 is 89 and 92 respectively.

Sometimes, it is hard to visualise the difference between sensor dimensions purely by reading technical specs. The pic underneath will help offer you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the SZ-31MR iHS and QX100.

As you can tell, both of the cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The SZ-31MR iHS due to its tinier sensor will make shooting shallow DOF more difficult and the Sony QX100 will offer you extra detail due to its extra 4MP. Greater resolution will enable you to crop images a bit more aggressively. The more aged SZ-31MR iHS is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.