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Olympus SH-2 vs Sony A6500

Portability
88
Imaging
41
Features
51
Overall
45
Olympus Stylus SH-2 front
 
Sony Alpha a6500 front
Portability
81
Imaging
68
Features
85
Overall
74

Olympus SH-2 vs Sony A6500 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
  • Released March 2015
  • Old Model is Olympus SH-1
  • Refreshed by Olympus SH-3
Sony A6500
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 25600 (Boost to 51200)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 453g - 120 x 67 x 53mm
  • Introduced October 2016
  • Superseded the Sony A6300
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Olympus SH-2 vs Sony A6500 Overview

In this write-up, we are matching up the Olympus SH-2 versus Sony A6500, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Advanced Mirrorless by competitors Olympus and Sony. There exists a substantial gap between the resolutions of the SH-2 (16MP) and A6500 (24MP) and the SH-2 (1/2.3") and A6500 (APS-C) use different sensor dimensions.

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The SH-2 was manufactured 19 months before the A6500 making the cameras a generation apart from one another. Both of the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus SH-2 being a Compact camera and the Sony A6500 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before going in to a more detailed comparison, below is a simple synopsis of how the SH-2 matches up against the A6500 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus SH-2 over the Sony A6500

 SH-2 A6500 

Reasons to pick Sony A6500 over the Olympus SH-2

 A6500 SH-2 
IntroducedOctober 2016March 2015Fresher by 19 months
Focus manually Very precise focusing
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display resolution922k460kSharper display (+462k dot)

Common features in the Olympus SH-2 and Sony A6500

 SH-2 A6500 
Display sizing3"3"Equivalent display sizing
Selfie screen No selfie screen
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Olympus SH-2 vs Sony A6500 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is intending to carry your camera, you'll need to factor in its weight and proportions. The Olympus SH-2 has got outside 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 A6500 has measurements of 120mm x 67mm x 53mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 2.1") along with a weight of 453 grams (1.00 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus SH-2 versus Sony A6500 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you select during that time. Below is the front view scale comparison of the SH-2 against the A6500.

Olympus SH-2 vs Sony A6500 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the SH-2 and A6500 is 88 and 81 respectively.

Olympus SH-2 vs Sony A6500 top view buttons comparison

Olympus SH-2 vs Sony A6500 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it can be hard to picture the gap between sensor sizing purely by reviewing specs. The visual below will offer you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the SH-2 and A6500.

As you can plainly see, each of the cameras offer different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The SH-2 featuring a tinier sensor is going to make getting shallower depth of field harder and the Sony A6500 will offer you greater detail due to its extra 8 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also help you crop photos a little more aggressively. The older SH-2 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor technology.

Olympus SH-2 vs Sony A6500 sensor size comparison

Olympus SH-2 vs Sony A6500 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus SH-2 vs Sony A6500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus SH-2 Portrait photography advice
Sony A6500 Portrait photography advice
44
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
comes with face detection focus
saves RAW formats
no manual focus
cannot use external flash
very small sensor (1/2.3")
80
manual focus
MP count decent (24 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
supports face detect autofocus
saves RAW files
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus SH-2
Street photography with Sony A6500
70
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
saves RAW formats
comes with focus by touch
lighter than average in class (271g)
fixed screen
very small sensor (1/2.3")
85
tilting screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
saves RAW files
provides focus by touch
environment sealing
great ISO range (25,600)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus SH-2 Sports photography info
Sony A6500 Sports photography info
51
excellent zoom range (25-600mm 24.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
resolution is good (16MP)
comes with tracking autofocus
better than average battery (380 shots)
no shutter priority
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect auto focus
77
silent shutter (1/32,000s)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count decent (24 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
supports tracking focus
environment sealing
comes with phase detect autofocus
bad battery (350 per charge)
Photography Glossary

Travel Comparison

Olympus SH-2 as a Travel photography camera
Sony A6500 as a Travel photography camera
74
better than average battery (380 shots)
lighter than average in class (271g)
comes with focus by touch
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
fairly wide (25mm)
great reach (600mm)
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.0)
74
environment sealing
connects via bluetooth
provides focus by touch
MP count decent (24 megapixels)
has built in flash
bad battery (350 shots)
screen isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus SH-2
Landscape photography with Sony A6500
55
fairly wide (25mm)
screen size is good (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
saves RAW formats
better than average battery (380 CIPA)
no manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.0)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
80
manual focus
change lenses (Sony E mount)
screen size is good (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count decent (24 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
great ISO range (25,600)
saves RAW files
environment sealing
bad battery (350 per charge)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus SH-2 Vlogging highlights
Sony A6500 Vlogging highlights
35
fairly wide (25mm)
built-in touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
comes with face detection focus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
lighter than average in class (271 grams)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.0)
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
missing external mic support
39
touch screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
supports face detect autofocus
high res video (3840 x 2160 resolution)
does have microphone support
screen isn't selfie friendly
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Olympus SH-2 vs Sony A6500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus SH-2 and Sony A6500
 Olympus Stylus SH-2Sony Alpha a6500
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Sony
Model Olympus Stylus SH-2 Sony Alpha a6500
Type Small Sensor Superzoom Advanced Mirrorless
Released 2015-03-11 2016-10-06
Physical type Compact Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic VII Bionz X
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 megapixels 24 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4608 x 3456 6000 x 4000
Highest native ISO 6400 25600
Highest boosted ISO - 51200
Minimum native ISO 125 100
RAW images
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points - 425
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 -
Available lenses - 121
Focal length multiplier 5.8 1.5
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Tilting
Screen sizing 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of screen 460 thousand dots 922 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359 thousand dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.7x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 30 seconds 30 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Maximum silent shutter speed - 1/32000 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 11.5 frames per second 11.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 8.30 m (at ISO 3200) 6.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash settings Auto, redeye reduction, fill-in, off Flash off, Autoflash, Fill-flash, Rear Sync., Slow Sync., Red-eye reduction (On/Off selectable), Hi-speed sync, Wireless
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize - 1/160 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60p, 30p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 3840x2160
Video file format H.264 MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 271g (0.60 lbs) 453g (1.00 lbs)
Dimensions 109 x 63 x 42mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.7") 120 x 67 x 53mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 2.1")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested 85
DXO Color Depth score not tested 24.5
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 13.7
DXO Low light score not tested 1405
Other
Battery life 380 pictures 350 pictures
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model LI-92B NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom) Yes
Time lapse feature With downloadable app
Storage type SD, SDHC, SDXC, Internal Memory SD/SDHC/SDXC + Memory Stick Pro Duo
Card slots Single Single
Launch pricing $399 $1,298