Olympus SH-2 vs Sony A850

Its time to take a deeper look at the Olympus SH-2 and Sony A850, one is a Small Sensor Superzoom and the other is a Advanced DSLR by brands Olympus and Sony. There exists a crucial gap between the resolutions of the SH-2 (16MP) and A850 (25MP) and the SH-2 (1/2.3") and A850 (Full frame) boast different sensor size.

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The SH-2 was introduced 4 years after the A850 which is quite a serious gap as far as technology is concerned. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus SH-2 being a Compact camera and the Sony A850 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before getting straight to a in depth comparison, here is a brief view of how the SH-2 matches up vs the A850 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus Stylus SH-2 and Sony Alpha DSLR-A850. The whole galleries are provided at Olympus SH-2 Gallery and Sony A850 Gallery.

If you're aiming to carry around your camera, you'll need to take into account its weight and size. The Olympus SH-2 features exterior dimensions of 109mm x 63mm x 42mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.7") and a weight of 271 grams (0.60 lbs) and the Sony A850 has specifications of 156mm x 117mm x 82mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 3.2") along with a weight of 895 grams (1.97 lbs).

Check out the Olympus SH-2 and Sony A850 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you have chosen at that time. Here is a front view size comparison of the SH-2 against the A850.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the SH-2 and A850 is 88 and 54 respectively.

Normally, it is hard to imagine the gap between sensor sizes simply by reviewing a spec sheet. The pic below should give you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the SH-2 and A850.

As you can see, both cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The SH-2 with its tinier sensor is going to make getting shallow DOF harder and the Sony A850 will deliver more detail using its extra 9MP. Greater resolution will help you crop pics more aggressively. The newer SH-2 provides an advantage when it comes to sensor technology.