Olympus SH-1 vs Sony A230

Lets take a closer look at the Olympus SH-1 versus Sony A230, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Olympus and Sony. There exists a considerable gap among the resolutions of the SH-1 (16MP) and A230 (10MP) and the SH-1 (1/2.3") and A230 (APS-C) provide different sensor sizing.

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The SH-1 was introduced 4 years later than the A230 and that is a fairly large difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus SH-1 being a Compact camera and the Sony A230 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before we go straight to a complete comparison, here is a simple summary of how the SH-1 scores versus the A230 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus Stylus SH-1 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A230. The whole galleries are viewable at Olympus SH-1 Gallery & Sony A230 Gallery.

For anyone who is going to lug around your camera frequently, you should think about its weight and proportions. The Olympus SH-1 enjoys external dimensions of 109mm x 63mm x 42mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.7") with a weight of 271 grams (0.60 lbs) while the Sony A230 has measurements of 128mm x 97mm x 68mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.7") accompanied by a weight of 490 grams (1.08 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus SH-1 versus Sony A230 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you are employing at that moment. Below is a front view dimensions comparison of the SH-1 and the A230.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the SH-1 and A230 is 88 and 69 respectively.

Quite often, it is very difficult to visualize the gap in sensor measurements only by seeing specs. The photograph here will help offer you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the SH-1 and A230.

All in all, each of the cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The SH-1 with its smaller sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field tougher and the Olympus SH-1 will produce more detail using its extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop shots more aggressively. The newer SH-1 should have an edge with regard to sensor technology.