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Olympus SH-2 vs Sony S980

Portability
88
Imaging
40
Features
51
Overall
44
Olympus Stylus SH-2 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S980 front
Portability
94
Imaging
34
Features
17
Overall
27

Olympus SH-2 vs Sony S980 Key Specs

Olympus SH-2
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 125 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-600mm (F3.0-6.9) lens
  • 271g - 109 x 63 x 42mm
  • Revealed March 2015
  • Older Model is Olympus SH-1
  • Newer Model is Olympus SH-3
Sony S980
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 33-132mm (F3.3-5.2) lens
  • 167g - 93 x 56 x 24mm
  • Released February 2009
Photography Glossary

Olympus SH-2 vs Sony S980 Overview

Following is a comprehensive comparison of the Olympus SH-2 and Sony S980, one is a Small Sensor Superzoom and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by companies Olympus and Sony. There exists a crucial gap between the sensor resolutions of the SH-2 (16MP) and S980 (12MP) but they possess the same exact sensor sizes (1/2.3").

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The SH-2 was introduced 6 years after the S980 which is quite a serious gap as far as technology is concerned. Both cameras offer the identical body type (Compact).

Before we go straight into a in depth comparison, below is a brief highlight of how the SH-2 matches up against the S980 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus SH-2 over the Sony S980

 SH-2 S980 
ReleasedMarch 2015February 2009More modern by 74 months
Screen sizing3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution460k230kSharper screen (+230k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Sony S980 over the Olympus SH-2

 S980 SH-2 
Focus manually Dial precise focus

Common features in the Olympus SH-2 and Sony S980

 SH-2 S980 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Lacking selfie screen

Olympus SH-2 vs Sony S980 Physical Comparison

When you are aiming to carry around your camera often, you are going to need to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Olympus SH-2 comes with outside measurements of 109mm x 63mm x 42mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.7") and a weight of 271 grams (0.60 lbs) whilst the Sony S980 has dimensions of 93mm x 56mm x 24mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") and a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus SH-2 and Sony S980 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you use during that time. Following is the front view overall size comparison of the SH-2 versus the S980.

Olympus SH-2 vs Sony S980 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the SH-2 and S980 is 88 and 94 respectively.

Olympus SH-2 vs Sony S980 top view buttons comparison

Olympus SH-2 vs Sony S980 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it is very hard to visualize the contrast between sensor sizes only by checking a spec sheet. The pic below may give you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the SH-2 and S980.

As you can see, both of these cameras enjoy the same exact sensor sizing albeit different MP. You should expect the Olympus SH-2 to give greater detail using its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop pictures far more aggressively. The newer SH-2 provides an edge with regard to sensor technology.

Olympus SH-2 vs Sony S980 sensor size comparison

Olympus SH-2 vs Sony S980 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus SH-2 vs Sony S980 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus SH-2 Portrait photography advice
Sony S980 Portrait photography advice
44
MP count good (16MP)
includes face detect autofocus
exports RAW formats
no manual focus
no external flash support
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
27
focusing manually
manual exposure not possible
no external flash support
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus SH-2
Street photography with Sony S980
70
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
exports RAW formats
provides focus via touch
lighter than average in class (271g)
fixed screen
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
47
screen does not articulate
does not have image stabilization
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Olympus SH-2 as a Sports photography camera
Sony S980 as a Sports photography camera
51
great zoom range (25-600mm 24.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
MP count good (16MP)
includes tracking focus
better than average battery power (380 shots)
no shutter priority
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
17
slow fps (1.0 frames/s)
lack of shutter priority mode
does not have image stabilization
sensor resolution low (12MP)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus SH-2 Travel photography highlights
Sony S980 Travel photography highlights
74
better than average battery power (380 per charge)
lighter than average in class (271g)
provides focus via touch
MP count good (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
decently wide (25mm)
very long reach (600mm)
display is not selfie friendly
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.0)
51
has built in flash
lack of Timelapse recording
sensor resolution low (12MP)
does not feature selfie friendly display
wide angle not the best (33mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus SH-2 Landscape photography details
Sony S980 Landscape photography details
54
decently wide (25mm)
screen size is good (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
MP count good (16 megapixels)
exports RAW formats
better than average battery power (380 per charge)
no manual focus
can't swap lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.0)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
27
focusing manually
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not the best (33mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
small screen (2.7 inch)
manual exposure not possible
does not have image stabilization
sensor resolution low (12MP)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
lack of Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus SH-2
Vlogging with Sony S980
34
decently wide (25mm)
touch screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
includes face detect autofocus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
lighter than average in class (271g)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.0)
display is not selfie friendly
missing mic port
22
wide angle not the best (33mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
does not feature selfie friendly display
does not have image stabilization
low video resolution (1280 x 720 pixels)
lack of external microphone jack
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Olympus SH-2 vs Sony S980 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus SH-2 and Sony S980
 Olympus Stylus SH-2Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S980
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus Stylus SH-2 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S980
Type Small Sensor Superzoom Small Sensor Compact
Revealed 2015-03-11 2009-02-17
Body design Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic VII -
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 12MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 4608 x 3456 4000 x 3000
Maximum native ISO 6400 3200
Minimum native ISO 125 80
RAW support
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points - 9
Lens
Lens support fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 25-600mm (24.0x) 33-132mm (4.0x)
Max aperture f/3.0-6.9 f/3.3-5.2
Macro focusing distance 3cm 10cm
Crop factor 5.8 5.8
Screen
Range of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display size 3 inch 2.7 inch
Display resolution 460k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Min shutter speed 30s 2s
Max shutter speed 1/2000s 1/1600s
Continuous shutter speed 11.5 frames per second 1.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 8.30 m (at ISO 3200) 3.50 m
Flash modes Auto, redeye reduction, fill-in, off Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
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) 1280 x 720 (30 fps) 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video format H.264 Motion JPEG
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 271 grams (0.60 lb) 167 grams (0.37 lb)
Dimensions 109 x 63 x 42mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.7") 93 x 56 x 24mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 380 images -
Battery format Battery Pack -
Battery ID LI-92B -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage media SD, SDHC, SDXC, Internal Memory Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo, Internal
Storage slots Single Single
Pricing at release $399 $300