Olympus SH-1 vs Sony A850

Lets take a more detailed look at the Olympus SH-1 and Sony A850, one being a Small Sensor Superzoom and the latter is a Advanced DSLR by companies Olympus and Sony. There exists a significant gap between the image resolutions of the SH-1 (16MP) and A850 (25MP) and the SH-1 (1/2.3") and A850 (Full frame) offer totally different sensor sizes.

Photography Glossary

The SH-1 was introduced 4 years later than the A850 and that is quite a sizable gap as far as technology is concerned. Both cameras have different body design with the Olympus SH-1 being a Compact camera and the Sony A850 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before we go straight to a complete comparison, here is a brief overview of how the SH-1 matches up vs the A850 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus Stylus SH-1 and Sony Alpha DSLR-A850. The whole galleries are provided at Olympus SH-1 Gallery and Sony A850 Gallery.

For anybody who is looking to lug around your camera regularly, you'll need to consider its weight and proportions. The Olympus SH-1 has got external measurements of 109mm x 63mm x 42mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.7") having a weight of 271 grams (0.60 lbs) whilst the Sony A850 has measurements of 156mm x 117mm x 82mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 3.2") accompanied by a weight of 895 grams (1.97 lbs).

Check the Olympus SH-1 and Sony A850 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you have attached at the time. Below is a front view proportions comparison of the SH-1 compared to the A850.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the SH-1 and A850 is 88 and 54 respectively.

Typically, it can be hard to visualise the gap between sensor measurements just by checking technical specs. The graphic below will help provide you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the SH-1 and A850.

As you can tell, both of these cameras have different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The SH-1 having a tinier sensor will make shooting shallower DOF more difficult and the Sony A850 will give greater detail using its extra 9MP. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop pictures a bit more aggressively. The fresher SH-1 is going to have a benefit when it comes to sensor technology.