Olympus SH-2 vs Sony HX20V

Its time to look closer at the Olympus SH-2 and Sony HX20V, both Small Sensor Superzoom digital cameras by brands Olympus and Sony. The resolution of the SH-2 (16MP) and the HX20V (18MP) is very well matched and both cameras boast the identical sensor sizes (1/2.3").

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The SH-2 was manufactured 2 years later than the HX20V and that is quite a significant difference as far as technology is concerned. Each of the cameras feature the same body design (Compact).

Before going into a in depth comparison, here is a simple view of how the SH-2 matches up against the HX20V in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus Stylus SH-2 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V. The entire galleries are available at Olympus SH-2 Gallery & Sony HX20V Gallery.

For anybody who is aiming to lug around your camera frequently, you're going to have to factor in its weight and volume. The Olympus SH-2 provides physical 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 HX20V has sizing of 107mm x 62mm x 35mm (4.2" x 2.4" x 1.4") accompanied by a weight of 254 grams (0.56 lbs).

Look at the Olympus SH-2 and Sony HX20V in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you have at that time. Here is a front view sizing comparison of the SH-2 compared to the HX20V.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the SH-2 and HX20V is 88 and 90 respectively.

Quite often, it is difficult to envision the difference between sensor measurements purely by looking at specs. The photograph below will provide you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the SH-2 and HX20V.

All in all, each of the cameras feature the identical sensor size but not the same MP. You can expect to see the Sony HX20V to give more detail due to its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also make it easier to crop pics way more aggressively. The more modern SH-2 is going to have an advantage with regard to sensor technology.