Olympus SH-2 vs Sony A500

Lets take a deeper look at the Olympus SH-2 versus Sony A500, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by rivals Olympus and Sony. There is a noticeable difference among the sensor resolutions of the SH-2 (16MP) and A500 (12MP) and the SH-2 (1/2.3") and A500 (APS-C) provide different sensor size.

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The SH-2 was unveiled 5 years after the A500 which is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus SH-2 being a Compact camera and the Sony A500 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before delving straight to a comprehensive comparison, here is a quick highlight of how the SH-2 scores against the A500 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Here is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus Stylus SH-2 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A500. The full galleries are available at Olympus SH-2 Gallery & Sony A500 Gallery.

For those who are going to carry around your camera often, you should take into account its weight and size. The Olympus SH-2 offers 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) and the Sony A500 has specifications of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") having a weight of 630 grams (1.39 lbs).

See the Olympus SH-2 versus Sony A500 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you have during that time. Below is a front view proportions comparison of the SH-2 and the A500.

Considering size and weight, the portability grade of the SH-2 and A500 is 88 and 63 respectively.

Oftentimes, its tough to imagine the difference in sensor sizes merely by checking out specs. The image underneath will help offer you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the SH-2 and A500.

All in all, both of the cameras come with different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The SH-2 with its smaller sensor is going to make getting shallower DOF trickier and the Olympus SH-2 will show more detail having an extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will enable you to crop shots a good deal more aggressively. The fresher SH-2 provides a benefit with regard to sensor technology.