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Olympus SH-1 vs Sony A77

Portability
88
Imaging
40
Features
53
Overall
45
Olympus Stylus SH-1 front
 
Sony SLT-A77 front
Portability
59
Imaging
63
Features
83
Overall
71

Olympus SH-1 vs Sony A77 Key Specs

Olympus SH-1
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-600mm (F3.0-6.9) lens
  • 271g - 109 x 63 x 42mm
  • Introduced March 2014
  • Newer Model is Olympus SH-2
Sony A77
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 50 - 16000 (Boost to 25600)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 732g - 143 x 104 x 81mm
  • Launched October 2011
  • Replaced the Sony A700
  • New Model is Sony A77 II
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Olympus SH-1 vs Sony A77 Overview

In this article, we will be reviewing the Olympus SH-1 vs Sony A77, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Advanced DSLR by rivals Olympus and Sony. There is a noticeable difference among the resolutions of the SH-1 (16MP) and A77 (24MP) and the SH-1 (1/2.3") and A77 (APS-C) use totally different sensor sizing.

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The SH-1 was manufactured 2 years later than the A77 and that is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera tech is concerned. The two cameras offer different body type with the Olympus SH-1 being a Compact camera and the Sony A77 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before diving in to a full comparison, below is a simple overview of how the SH-1 matches up versus the A77 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Photography Glossary

        

Reasons to pick Olympus SH-1 over the Sony A77

 SH-1 A77 
LaunchedMarch 2014October 2011Fresher by 30 months
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Sony A77 over the Olympus SH-1

 A77 SH-1 
Manually focus Very accurate focusing
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen resolution921k460kClearer screen (+461k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Common features in the Olympus SH-1 and Sony A77

 SH-1 A77 
Screen sizing3"3"Equivalent screen measurement

Olympus SH-1 vs Sony A77 Physical Comparison

For those who are aiming to carry your camera regularly, you're going to have to think about its weight and size. The Olympus SH-1 has got exterior measurements of 109mm x 63mm x 42mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.7") along with a weight of 271 grams (0.60 lbs) and the Sony A77 has specifications of 143mm x 104mm x 81mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.2") having a weight of 732 grams (1.61 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus SH-1 vs Sony A77 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you are utilizing at that moment. The following is the front view dimensions comparison of the SH-1 vs the A77.

Olympus SH-1 vs Sony A77 size comparison

Using size and weight, the portability rating of the SH-1 and A77 is 88 and 59 respectively.

Olympus SH-1 vs Sony A77 top view buttons comparison

Olympus SH-1 vs Sony A77 Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, it is difficult to envision the contrast in sensor sizing simply by seeing specs. The photograph below may provide you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the SH-1 and A77.

As you can plainly see, both of the cameras enjoy different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The SH-1 due to its smaller sensor will make shooting shallower depth of field more difficult and the Sony A77 will show extra detail due to its extra 8MP. Higher resolution can also help you crop pictures far more aggressively. The fresher SH-1 will have an advantage with regard to sensor innovation.

Olympus SH-1 vs Sony A77 sensor size comparison

Olympus SH-1 vs Sony A77 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus SH-1 vs Sony A77 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus SH-1 Portrait photography information
Sony A77 Portrait photography information
37
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
features face detect focus
no manual focus
cannot use external flash
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
77
you can focus manually
good megapixels (24MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
provides face detection focus
exports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus SH-1 as a Street photography camera
Sony A77 as a Street photography camera
64
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
provides touch to focus
lighter than competition in class (271g)
no moving screen
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
74
screen can move to multiple angles
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
weather proofing
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Sports Comparison

Olympus SH-1 as a Sports photography camera
Sony A77 as a Sports photography camera
51
great zoom range (25-600mm 24.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
features tracking focus
better than average battery life (380 shots)
no shutter priority mode
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
has no phase detect auto focus
74
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000s)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good megapixels (24MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
weather proofing
comes with phase detect auto focus
low battery power (470 per charge)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus SH-1 Travel photography highlights
Sony A77 Travel photography highlights
74
better than average battery life (380 shots)
lighter than competition in class (271 grams)
provides touch to focus
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
relatively wide (25mm)
very long zoom (600mm)
display isn't selfie friendly
slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
62
weather proofing
good megapixels (24MP)
built-in flash
screen is selfie friendly
missing Timelapse function
low battery power (470 CIPA)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus SH-1 Landscape photography highlights
Sony A77 Landscape photography highlights
49
relatively wide (25mm)
screen size is good (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
good megapixels (16MP)
better than average battery life (380 CIPA)
no manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
71
you can focus manually
interchangeable lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen is a good size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good megapixels (24MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
weather proofing
low battery power (470 per charge)
missing Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus SH-1
Vlogging with Sony A77
37
relatively wide (25mm)
built-in touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
features face detect focus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
does have mic support
lighter than competition in class (271g)
slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
display isn't selfie friendly
76
screen is selfie friendly
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
provides face detection focus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
does have external microphone support
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Olympus SH-1 vs Sony A77 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus SH-1 and Sony A77
 Olympus Stylus SH-1Sony SLT-A77
General Information
Make Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus Stylus SH-1 Sony SLT-A77
Class Small Sensor Superzoom Advanced DSLR
Introduced 2014-03-31 2011-10-25
Physical type Compact Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic VII Bionz
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 24 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4608 x 3456 6000 x 4000
Max native ISO 6400 16000
Max boosted ISO - 25600
Lowest native ISO 100 50
RAW data
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points - 19
Cross type focus points - 11
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens zoom range 25-600mm (24.0x) -
Maximum aperture f/3.0-6.9 -
Macro focusing distance 3cm -
Amount of lenses - 143
Crop factor 5.8 1.5
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Display diagonal 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 460 thousand dots 921 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359 thousand dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.73x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 30 seconds 30 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/8000 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 12.0fps 12.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance - 12.00 m
Flash settings - Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash synchronize - 1/250 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60p, 30p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60, 24 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 640 x 424 (29.97 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data format H.264 MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 271 grams (0.60 lbs) 732 grams (1.61 lbs)
Dimensions 109 x 63 x 42mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.7") 143 x 104 x 81mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.2")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested 78
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 24.0
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 13.2
DXO Low light rating not tested 801
Other
Battery life 380 shots 470 shots
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID LI-92B NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD, SDHC, SDXC, Internal Memory SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots 1 1
Cost at launch $349 $900