Olympus SH-2 vs Sony A6500

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.

Photography Glossary

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.

Here is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus Stylus SH-2 & Sony Alpha a6500. The entire galleries are available at Olympus SH-2 Gallery & Sony A6500 Gallery.

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.

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.

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

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.