Olympus SP-820UZ vs Sony A350

Its time to look more in depth at the Olympus SP-820UZ versus Sony A350, one is a Small Sensor Superzoom and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. The image resolution of the SP-820UZ (14MP) and the A350 (14MP) is fairly close but the SP-820UZ (1/2.3") and A350 (APS-C) provide totally different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The SP-820UZ was revealed 4 years after the A350 which is a fairly sizable gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus SP-820UZ being a Compact camera and the Sony A350 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before getting right into a step-by-step comparison, here is a simple synopsis of how the SP-820UZ scores against the A350 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus Stylus SP-820UZ and Sony Alpha DSLR-A350. The full galleries are provided at Olympus SP-820UZ Gallery and Sony A350 Gallery.

If you're intending to carry around your camera often, you will need to think about its weight and dimensions. The Olympus SP-820UZ provides outer measurements of 117mm x 78mm x 93mm (4.6" x 3.1" x 3.7") accompanied by a weight of 485 grams (1.07 lbs) and the Sony A350 has dimensions of 131mm x 99mm x 75mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0") along with a weight of 674 grams (1.49 lbs).

Look at the Olympus SP-820UZ versus Sony A350 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you are utilising at the time. The following is a front view physical size comparison of the SP-820UZ against the A350.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the SP-820UZ and A350 is 69 and 62 respectively.

Quite often, its difficult to envision the gap in sensor sizes just by viewing a spec sheet. The picture below may give you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the SP-820UZ and A350.

Clearly, each of the cameras provide the same megapixels but not the same sensor sizes. The SP-820UZ contains the smaller sensor which is going to make getting shallow depth of field harder. The fresher SP-820UZ is going to have a benefit when it comes to sensor tech.