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Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Sony RX10 IV

Portability
89
Imaging
39
Features
47
Overall
42
Olympus SZ-31MR iHS front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 IV front
Portability
52
Imaging
53
Features
82
Overall
64

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Sony RX10 IV 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
  • Revealed February 2012
Sony RX10 IV
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 125 - 12800 (Push to 25600)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • 24-600mm (F2.4-4.0) lens
  • 1095g - 133 x 94 x 145mm
  • Revealed September 2017
  • Replaced the Sony RX10 III
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Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Sony RX10 IV Overview

Below, we will be looking at the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS versus Sony RX10 IV, one is a Small Sensor Superzoom and the latter is a Large Sensor Superzoom by rivals Olympus and Sony. The resolution of the SZ-31MR iHS (16MP) and the RX10 IV (20MP) is pretty close but the SZ-31MR iHS (1/2.3") and RX10 IV (1") use different sensor sizes.

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The SZ-31MR iHS was unveiled 6 years before the RX10 IV which is a fairly sizable gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS being a Compact camera and the Sony RX10 IV being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before getting straight into a comprehensive comparison, below is a brief introduction of how the SZ-31MR iHS grades versus the RX10 IV in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-31MR iHS over the Sony RX10 IV

 SZ-31MR iHS RX10 IV 

Reasons to pick Sony RX10 IV over the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS

 RX10 IV SZ-31MR iHS 
RevealedSeptember 2017February 2012More modern by 68 months
Manually focus Dial accurate focus
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution1440k920kSharper screen (+520k dot)

Common features in the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS and Sony RX10 IV

 SZ-31MR iHS RX10 IV 
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen dimensions
Selfie screen No selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Sony RX10 IV Physical Comparison

When you are looking to carry around your camera regularly, you're going to have to factor its weight and proportions. The Olympus SZ-31MR iHS comes with physical 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 RX10 IV has measurements of 133mm x 94mm x 145mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 5.7") with a weight of 1095 grams (2.41 lbs).

Check the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS versus Sony RX10 IV in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you have attached at that moment. Following is the front view sizing comparison of the SZ-31MR iHS compared to the RX10 IV.

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Sony RX10 IV size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the SZ-31MR iHS and RX10 IV is 89 and 52 respectively.

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Sony RX10 IV top view buttons comparison

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Sony RX10 IV Sensor Comparison

Quite often, its tough to visualize the gap in sensor sizes just by researching specs. The pic underneath should offer you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the SZ-31MR iHS and RX10 IV.

As you can plainly see, each of these cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The SZ-31MR iHS with its smaller sensor is going to make shooting shallow depth of field trickier and the Sony RX10 IV will provide you with greater detail having an extra 4MP. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop photographs much more aggressively. The more aged SZ-31MR iHS will be behind when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Sony RX10 IV sensor size comparison

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Sony RX10 IV Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Sony RX10 IV Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS as a Portrait photography camera
Sony RX10 IV as a Portrait photography camera
34
MP count decent (16MP)
offers face detection focusing
no manual focus
lack of manual mode
can't use external flash
sensor is small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
71
manual focus
above average flash sync (1/2,000 seconds)
decent megapixels (20 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (1")
offers face detection focusing
exports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Street photography factors
Sony RX10 IV Street photography factors
64
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
boasts touch to focus
lighter than others (226g)
no moving screen
sensor is small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
64
screen tilts up and down
image stabilization (Optical)
sensor size is nice (1")
exports RAW files
has touch to focus
environment proofing
heavier than competition (1,095g)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Sports photography details
Sony RX10 IV Sports photography details
44
long zoom range (25-600mm 24.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
MP count decent (16MP)
offers tracking autofocus
no shutter priority mode
sensor is small (1/2.3")
bad battery life (200 shots)
lacks phase detect AF
76
excellent zoom range (24-600mm 25.0 x zoom)
silent mode (1/32,000s)
fast shooting (24.0 frames per second)
image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (20 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (1")
offers tracking autofocus
environment proofing
has phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Travel photography factors
Sony RX10 IV Travel photography factors
67
lighter than others (226 grams)
boasts touch to focus
MP count decent (16MP)
built-in flash
pretty wide (25mm)
long reach (600mm)
no Time Lapse mode
bad battery life (200 shots)
does not offer selfie friendly screen
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.0)
56
environment proofing
connects via bluetooth
has touch to focus
decent megapixels (20 megapixels)
has built in flash
really wide (24mm)
long zoom (600mm)
lack of Time Lapse recording
heavier than competition (1,095g)
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.4)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus SZ-31MR iHS
Landscape photography with Sony RX10 IV
41
pretty wide (25mm)
nice screen size (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
MP count decent (16MP)
no manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.0)
lack of manual mode
sensor is small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
bad battery life (200 CIPA)
no Time Lapse mode
62
manual focus
really wide (24mm)
nice screen size (3")
image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (20 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (1")
exports RAW files
environment proofing
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.4)
lack of Time Lapse recording
Photography Glossary

Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus SZ-31MR iHS
Vlogging with Sony RX10 IV
35
pretty wide (25mm)
built-in touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
offers face detection focusing
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lighter than others (226 grams)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.0)
does not offer selfie friendly screen
no external mic support
29
really wide (24mm)
touchscreen capability
image stabilization (Optical)
offers face detection focusing
high quality video (3840 x 2160 pixels)
has external mic jack
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.4)
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
heavier than competition (1,095g)
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Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Sony RX10 IV Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus SZ-31MR iHS and Sony RX10 IV
 Olympus SZ-31MR iHSSony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 IV
General Information
Company Olympus Sony
Model Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 IV
Category Small Sensor Superzoom Large Sensor Superzoom
Revealed 2012-02-08 2017-09-12
Body design Compact SLR-like (bridge)
Sensor Information
Chip Dual TruePic V Bionz X
Sensor type BSI-CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1"
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 13.2 x 8.8mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 116.2mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 20 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4608 x 3456 5472 x 3648
Max native ISO 6400 12800
Max boosted ISO - 25600
Minimum native ISO 80 125
RAW data
Minimum boosted ISO - 64
Autofocusing
Manual focus
AF touch
AF continuous
AF single
AF tracking
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points - 315
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 25-600mm (24.0x) 24-600mm (25.0x)
Highest aperture f/3.0-6.9 f/2.4-4.0
Macro focus distance 1cm 3cm
Focal length multiplier 5.8 2.7
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Tilting
Screen size 3 inches 3 inches
Screen resolution 920 thousand dot 1,440 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Screen technology Hypercrystal III TFT Color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.7x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 4 seconds 30 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/1700 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Highest silent shutter speed - 1/32000 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 7.0fps 24.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 9.30 m 10.80 m (at Auto ISO)
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in Auto, fill-flash, slow sync, rear sync, off
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Highest flash sync - 1/2000 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 180 (30fps) 3840 x 2160 (30p, 25p, 24p), 1920 x 1080 (60p, 60i, 24p) ,1440 x 1080 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 3840x2160
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 226g (0.50 lbs) 1095g (2.41 lbs)
Dimensions 106 x 69 x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") 133 x 94 x 145mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 5.7")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 200 shots 400 shots
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model LI-50B NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, pet auto shutter) Yes (2 or 10 sec, continuous)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots 1 1
Launch pricing $0 $1,698