Olympus SH-1 vs Sony a5100

Below, we will be analyzing the Olympus SH-1 vs Sony a5100, one is a Small Sensor Superzoom and the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by brands Olympus and Sony. There is a huge difference among the resolutions of the SH-1 (16MP) and a5100 (24MP) and the SH-1 (1/2.3") and a5100 (APS-C) come with different sensor sizes.

Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

The SH-1 was released 4 months prior to the a5100 so they are of a similar generation. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus SH-1 being a Compact camera and the Sony a5100 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving in to a more detailed comparison, below is a brief view of how the SH-1 scores versus the a5100 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus Stylus SH-1 and Sony Alpha a5100. The complete galleries are provided at Olympus SH-1 Gallery and Sony a5100 Gallery.

For those who are planning to travel with your camera often, you will have to take into account its weight and volume. The Olympus SH-1 has outer dimensions of 109mm x 63mm x 42mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.7") along with a weight of 271 grams (0.60 lbs) while the Sony a5100 has sizing of 110mm x 63mm x 36mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.4") accompanied by a weight of 283 grams (0.62 lbs).

See the Olympus SH-1 vs Sony a5100 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you are using at that moment. Following is the front view overall size comparison of the SH-1 vs the a5100.

Looking at size and weight, the portability grade of the SH-1 and a5100 is 88 and 89 respectively.

Usually, it's tough to visualize the gap in sensor dimensions merely by seeing specifications. The image below might give you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the SH-1 and a5100.

To sum up, both of the cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The SH-1 due to its smaller sensor is going to make getting shallower DOF more difficult and the Sony a5100 will show greater detail as a result of its extra 8MP. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop shots somewhat more aggressively.