Olympus SH-1 vs Sony A100

Below is a thorough overview of the Olympus SH-1 versus Sony A100, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Olympus and Sony. There is a sizable difference among the image resolutions of the SH-1 (16MP) and A100 (10MP) and the SH-1 (1/2.3") and A100 (APS-C) come with totally different sensor sizes.

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The SH-1 was revealed 7 years later than the A100 and that is a fairly significant difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus SH-1 being a Compact camera and the Sony A100 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before getting in to a in depth comparison, below is a simple view of how the SH-1 scores vs the A100 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus Stylus SH-1 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A100. The full galleries are viewable at Olympus SH-1 Gallery & Sony A100 Gallery.

For anybody who is planning to lug around your camera often, you'll have to factor in its weight and measurements. The Olympus SH-1 features exterior dimensions of 109mm x 63mm x 42mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.7") having a weight of 271 grams (0.60 lbs) and the Sony A100 has proportions of 133mm x 95mm x 71mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 2.8") and a weight of 638 grams (1.41 lbs).

See the Olympus SH-1 versus Sony A100 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you select at that time. Underneath is the front view sizing comparison of the SH-1 compared to the A100.

Looking at size and weight, the portability rating of the SH-1 and A100 is 88 and 64 respectively.

Usually, it's tough to visualise the contrast in sensor measurements merely by seeing specs. The graphic below might give you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the SH-1 and A100.

As you can plainly see, the two cameras offer different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The SH-1 using its smaller sensor will make achieving shallow depth of field harder and the Olympus SH-1 will produce greater detail because of its extra 6MP. Greater resolution will allow you to crop pics a little more aggressively. The more recent SH-1 is going to have an advantage when it comes to sensor innovation.