Olympus SP-820UZ vs Sony A700

On this page, we are reviewing the Olympus SP-820UZ and Sony A700, one being a Small Sensor Superzoom and the other is a Advanced DSLR by rivals Olympus and Sony. The resolution of the SP-820UZ (14MP) and the A700 (12MP) is fairly similar but the SP-820UZ (1/2.3") and A700 (APS-C) posses different sensor dimensions.

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The SP-820UZ was unveiled 4 years later than the A700 and that is quite a serious gap as far as technology is concerned. Both cameras have different body design with the Olympus SP-820UZ being a Compact camera and the Sony A700 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before going straight to a full comparison, here is a simple view of how the SP-820UZ matches up versus the A700 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus Stylus SP-820UZ and Sony Alpha DSLR-A700. The full galleries are viewable at Olympus SP-820UZ Gallery and Sony A700 Gallery.

In case you're looking to carry your camera frequently, you're going to have to consider its weight and dimensions. The Olympus SP-820UZ has external dimensions of 117mm x 78mm x 93mm (4.6" x 3.1" x 3.7") having a weight of 485 grams (1.07 lbs) and the Sony A700 has dimensions of 142mm x 105mm x 80mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.1") having a weight of 768 grams (1.69 lbs).

Compare the Olympus SP-820UZ and Sony A700 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you are utilizing at that time. The following is a front view over all size comparison of the SP-820UZ against the A700.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the SP-820UZ and A700 is 69 and 58 respectively.

Sometimes, it is hard to visualize the gap between sensor sizing simply by reviewing a spec sheet. The visual here may give you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the SP-820UZ and A700.

As you can see, the 2 cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The SP-820UZ having a tinier sensor is going to make getting shallow DOF harder and the Olympus SP-820UZ will offer you greater detail having an extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also make it easier to crop photos more aggressively. The more modern SP-820UZ should have an advantage with regard to sensor tech.