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Olympus SH-2 vs Sony NEX-7

Portability
88
Imaging
40
Features
51
Overall
44
Olympus Stylus SH-2 front
 
Sony Alpha NEX-7 front
Portability
84
Imaging
63
Features
71
Overall
66

Olympus SH-2 vs Sony NEX-7 Key Specs

Olympus SH-2
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 125 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-600mm (F3.0-6.9) lens
  • 271g - 109 x 63 x 42mm
  • Announced March 2015
  • Old Model is Olympus SH-1
  • Renewed by Olympus SH-3
Sony NEX-7
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 16000
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 400g - 120 x 67 x 43mm
  • Announced December 2011
Photography Glossary

Olympus SH-2 vs Sony NEX-7 Overview

Here, we will be matching up the Olympus SH-2 and Sony NEX-7, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Advanced Mirrorless by rivals Olympus and Sony. There is a sizable difference between the resolutions of the SH-2 (16MP) and NEX-7 (24MP) and the SH-2 (1/2.3") and NEX-7 (APS-C) have totally different sensor sizing.

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The SH-2 was manufactured 3 years later than the NEX-7 and that is quite a significant difference as far as tech is concerned. Both the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus SH-2 being a Compact camera and the Sony NEX-7 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before delving into a full comparison, here is a simple synopsis of how the SH-2 scores versus the NEX-7 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus SH-2 over the Sony NEX-7

 SH-2 NEX-7 
AnnouncedMarch 2015December 2011More recent by 40 months
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Sony NEX-7 over the Olympus SH-2

 NEX-7 SH-2 
Focus manually Dial exact focusing
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution921k460kClearer screen (+461k dot)

Common features in the Olympus SH-2 and Sony NEX-7

 SH-2 NEX-7 
Screen size3"3"Same screen measurement
Selfie screen Lack of selfie screen

Olympus SH-2 vs Sony NEX-7 Physical Comparison

When you are going to lug around your camera often, you will need to think about its weight and proportions. The Olympus SH-2 offers outer measurements of 109mm x 63mm x 42mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.7") and a weight of 271 grams (0.60 lbs) while the Sony NEX-7 has measurements of 120mm x 67mm x 43mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 1.7") having a weight of 400 grams (0.88 lbs).

Compare the Olympus SH-2 and Sony NEX-7 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you are utilizing at that time. Following is a front view scale comparison of the SH-2 against the NEX-7.

Olympus SH-2 vs Sony NEX-7 size comparison

Considering size and weight, the portability score of the SH-2 and NEX-7 is 88 and 84 respectively.

Olympus SH-2 vs Sony NEX-7 top view buttons comparison

Olympus SH-2 vs Sony NEX-7 Sensor Comparison

In many cases, its tough to visualise the difference between sensor measurements merely by reading through technical specs. The visual here may give you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the SH-2 and NEX-7.

As you have seen, each of the cameras come with different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The SH-2 due to its tinier sensor will make shooting shallower depth of field tougher and the Sony NEX-7 will resolve greater detail due to its extra 8MP. Higher resolution will also help you crop photographs a good deal more aggressively. The newer SH-2 will have a benefit with regard to sensor innovation.

Olympus SH-2 vs Sony NEX-7 sensor size comparison

Olympus SH-2 vs Sony NEX-7 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus SH-2 vs Sony NEX-7 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus SH-2 Portrait photography information
Sony NEX-7 Portrait photography information
44
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
supports face detect focusing
saves RAW files
no manual focus
cannot use external flash
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
77
has manual focus
decent MP (24 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
has face detection autofocus
supports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus SH-2
Street photography with Sony NEX-7
70
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
saves RAW files
has focus via touch
lighter than average (271 grams)
no articulating screen
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
76
has a tilting screen
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
supports RAW files
lack of image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Olympus SH-2 Sports photography details
Sony NEX-7 Sports photography details
51
great zoom range (25-600mm 24.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
MP count decent (16MP)
supports tracking focus
great battery (380 per charge)
no shutter priority
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect AF
61
decent MP (24MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
great battery pack (430 CIPA)
lack of image stabilization
lacks phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus SH-2 Travel photography details
Sony NEX-7 Travel photography details
74
great battery (380 CIPA)
lighter than average (271 grams)
has focus via touch
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
rather wide (25mm)
very long zoom (600mm)
screen isn't selfie friendly
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
70
great battery pack (430 CIPA)
decent MP (24 megapixels)
flash built-in
missing Timelapse mode
does not feature selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus SH-2 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony NEX-7 as a Landscape photography camera
54
rather wide (25mm)
decent sized screen (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
MP count decent (16MP)
saves RAW files
great battery (380 CIPA)
no manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
72
has manual focus
swap lenses (Sony E mount)
screen size is decent (3")
decent MP (24MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
supports RAW files
great battery pack (430 CIPA)
lack of image stabilization
missing Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus SH-2 Vlogging info
Sony NEX-7 Vlogging info
34
rather wide (25mm)
touch screen
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
supports face detect focusing
high quality video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than average (271 grams)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
screen isn't selfie friendly
no mic jack
35
has face detection autofocus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
does have external microphone port
does not feature selfie friendly screen
lack of image stabilization
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Olympus SH-2 vs Sony NEX-7 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus SH-2 and Sony NEX-7
 Olympus Stylus SH-2Sony Alpha NEX-7
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Sony
Model Olympus Stylus SH-2 Sony Alpha NEX-7
Category Small Sensor Superzoom Advanced Mirrorless
Announced 2015-03-11 2011-12-13
Body design Compact Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Powered by 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 16MP 24MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4608 x 3456 6000 x 4000
Highest native ISO 6400 16000
Min native ISO 125 100
RAW data
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Number of focus points - 25
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens Sony E
Lens focal range 25-600mm (24.0x) -
Maximal aperture f/3.0-6.9 -
Macro focus distance 3cm -
Number of lenses - 121
Focal length multiplier 5.8 1.5
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Tilting
Screen diagonal 3 inches 3 inches
Screen resolution 460 thousand dot 921 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Electronic
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.73x
Features
Min shutter speed 30 secs 30 secs
Max shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shutter speed 11.5fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 8.30 m (at ISO 3200) 6.00 m
Flash options Auto, redeye reduction, fill-in, off Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Max flash sync - 1/160 secs
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported 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 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data format H.264 MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
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 None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 271g (0.60 pounds) 400g (0.88 pounds)
Physical dimensions 109 x 63 x 42mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.7") 120 x 67 x 43mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 1.7")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested 81
DXO Color Depth score not tested 24.1
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 13.4
DXO Low light score not tested 1016
Other
Battery life 380 images 430 images
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model LI-92B NPFW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 or 5 images))
Time lapse shooting
Storage media SD, SDHC, SDXC, Internal Memory SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots 1 1
Launch price $399 $699