Clicky

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Sony A99

Portability
89
Imaging
39
Features
47
Overall
42
Olympus SZ-31MR iHS front
 
Sony SLT-A99 front
Portability
57
Imaging
69
Features
88
Overall
76

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Sony A99 Key Specs

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • 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 A99
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 812g - 147 x 111 x 78mm
  • Announced December 2012
  • Superseded the Sony A900
  • Newer Model is Sony A99 II
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Sony A99 Overview

Below is a extended assessment of the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS and Sony A99, one being a Small Sensor Superzoom and the latter is a Advanced DSLR by brands Olympus and Sony. There exists a huge gap among the image resolutions of the SZ-31MR iHS (16MP) and A99 (24MP) and the SZ-31MR iHS (1/2.3") and A99 (Full frame) provide totally different sensor dimensions.

Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

The SZ-31MR iHS was revealed 10 months before the A99 which means that they are both of a similar generation. The two cameras have different body design with the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS being a Compact camera and the Sony A99 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before going straight to a in depth comparison, here is a brief summary of how the SZ-31MR iHS scores versus the A99 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-31MR iHS over the Sony A99

 SZ-31MR iHS A99 
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Sony A99 over the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS

 A99 SZ-31MR iHS 
AnnouncedDecember 2012February 2012More recent by 10 months
Focus manually More exact focus
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen resolution1229k920kSharper screen (+309k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies

Common features in the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS and Sony A99

 SZ-31MR iHS A99 
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen sizing

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Sony A99 Physical Comparison

When you are going to lug around your camera regularly, you will need to take into account 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") accompanied by a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs) while the Sony A99 has measurements of 147mm x 111mm x 78mm (5.8" x 4.4" x 3.1") and a weight of 812 grams (1.79 lbs).

See the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS and Sony A99 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you have attached at the time. The following is a front view measurements comparison of the SZ-31MR iHS vs the A99.

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Sony A99 size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the SZ-31MR iHS and A99 is 89 and 57 respectively.

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Sony A99 top view buttons comparison

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Sony A99 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it is very hard to visualise the contrast in sensor measurements only by researching a spec sheet. The graphic below will help provide you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the SZ-31MR iHS and A99.

Clearly, both cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The SZ-31MR iHS with its smaller sensor will make getting shallow DOF trickier and the Sony A99 will provide you with more detail because of its extra 8 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop pictures more aggressively. The older SZ-31MR iHS will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Sony A99 sensor size comparison

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Sony A99 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Sony A99 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Portrait photography details
Sony A99 Portrait photography details
34
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
has face detect focus
no manual focus
manual exposure not available
can't use external flash
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
81
you can focus manually
good megapixels (24 megapixels)
big sensor size (Full frame)
supports face detect autofocus
delivers RAW formats
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Street Comparison

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS as a Street photography camera
Sony A99 as a Street photography camera
64
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
boasts touch focus
lighter than average (226 grams)
fixed screen
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
75
screen can move to multiple angles
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
big sensor size (Full frame)
delivers RAW formats
environment proofing
very good high ISO (25,600)
Photography Glossary

Sports Comparison

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS as a Sports photography camera
Sony A99 as a Sports photography camera
44
long zoom range (25-600mm 24.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
has tracking focus
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
not so great battery pack (200 shots)
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
78
great max shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good megapixels (24MP)
big sensor size (Full frame)
supports tracking focus
environment proofing
comes with phase detect autofocus
bad battery life (500 CIPA)
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus SZ-31MR iHS
Travel photography with Sony A99
67
lighter than average (226g)
boasts touch focus
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
flash built-in
pretty wide (25mm)
great zoom (600mm)
does not have Time Lapse mode
not so great battery pack (200 CIPA)
screen isn't selfie friendly
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.0)
60
environment proofing
good megapixels (24 megapixels)
selfie friendly screen
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
bad battery life (500 CIPA)
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Landscape Comparison

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Landscape photography factors
Sony A99 Landscape photography factors
41
pretty wide (25mm)
decent sized screen (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
no manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.0)
manual exposure not available
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
not so great battery pack (200 per charge)
does not have Time Lapse mode
74
you can focus manually
interchangeable lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
good sized screen (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good megapixels (24 megapixels)
big sensor size (Full frame)
very good high ISO (25,600)
delivers RAW formats
environment proofing
has double storage slots
bad battery life (500 CIPA)
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS as a Vlogging camera
Sony A99 as a Vlogging camera
35
pretty wide (25mm)
touch screen
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
has face detect focus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
lighter than average (226 grams)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.0)
screen isn't selfie friendly
does not have mic support
76
selfie friendly screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
supports face detect autofocus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
does have mic port
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Sony A99 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus SZ-31MR iHS and Sony A99
 Olympus SZ-31MR iHSSony SLT-A99
General Information
Make Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Sony SLT-A99
Category Small Sensor Superzoom Advanced DSLR
Revealed 2012-02-08 2012-12-12
Body design Compact Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Dual TruePic V Bionz
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" Full frame
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 35.8 x 23.8mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 852.0mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 24MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 4608 x 3456 6000 x 4000
Max native ISO 6400 25600
Min native ISO 80 100
RAW files
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points - 19
Cross type focus points - 11
Lens
Lens support fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens zoom range 25-600mm (24.0x) -
Maximal aperture f/3.0-6.9 -
Macro focusing distance 1cm -
Total lenses - 143
Focal length multiplier 5.8 1
Screen
Range of display Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Display diagonal 3 inches 3 inches
Display resolution 920k dot 1,229k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Display technology Hypercrystal III TFT Color LCD TFT Xtra Fine color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359k dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.71x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 4 secs 30 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/1700 secs 1/8000 secs
Continuous shutter speed 7.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation - Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 9.30 m no built-in flash
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Fastest flash sync - 1/250 secs
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 180 (30fps) 1920 x 1080 (60, 24 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 640 x 424 (29.97 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 226 grams (0.50 lbs) 812 grams (1.79 lbs)
Physical dimensions 106 x 69 x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") 147 x 111 x 78mm (5.8" x 4.4" x 3.1")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested 89
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 25.0
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 14.0
DXO Low light rating not tested 1555
Other
Battery life 200 photographs 500 photographs
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID LI-50B NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, pet auto shutter) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC Memory Stick PRO Duo/Pro-HG Duo; SD, SDHC and SDXC
Storage slots 1 Two
Retail price $0 $1,998