Olympus SP-820UZ vs Sony NEX-7
69 Imaging
37 Features
29 Overall
33


84 Imaging
63 Features
71 Overall
66
Olympus SP-820UZ vs Sony NEX-7 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Display
- ISO 80 - 6400
- 1920 x 1080 video
- 22-896mm (F3.4-5.7) lens
- 485g - 117 x 78 x 93mm
- Announced August 2012
- Replaced the Olympus SP-820UZ
- Refreshed by Olympus SP-820UZ
(Full Review)
- 24MP - APS-C Sensor
- 3" Tilting Screen
- ISO 100 - 16000
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Sony E Mount
- 400g - 120 x 67 x 43mm
- Revealed December 2011

Olympus SP-820UZ vs Sony NEX-7 Overview
Following is a complete analysis of the Olympus SP-820UZ and Sony NEX-7, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Advanced Mirrorless by competitors Olympus and Sony. There exists a considerable gap among the sensor resolutions of the SP-820UZ (14MP) and NEX-7 (24MP) and the SP-820UZ (1/2.3") and NEX-7 (APS-C) offer different sensor measurements.

The SP-820UZ was launched 9 months after the NEX-7 so they are of a similar age. Both of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus SP-820UZ being a Compact camera and the Sony NEX-7 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.
Before delving straight to a full comparison, here is a simple overview of how the SP-820UZ grades versus the NEX-7 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Olympus SP-820UZ vs Sony NEX-7 Gallery
The following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus Stylus SP-820UZ & Sony Alpha NEX-7. The complete galleries are provided at Olympus SP-820UZ Gallery & Sony NEX-7 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus SP-820UZ over the Sony NEX-7
SP-820UZ | NEX-7 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Revealed | August 2012 | ![]() | December 2011 | More modern by 9 months |
Reasons to pick Sony NEX-7 over the Olympus SP-820UZ
NEX-7 | SP-820UZ | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Focus manually | ![]() | More precise focusing | ||
Screen type | Tilting | ![]() | Fixed | Tilting screen |
Screen resolution | 921k | ![]() | 460k | Sharper screen (+461k dot) |
Common features in the Olympus SP-820UZ and Sony NEX-7
SP-820UZ | NEX-7 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Screen dimensions | 3" | ![]() | 3" | Equal screen measurements |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Neither includes selfie screen | ||
Touch screen | ![]() | Missing Touch screen |
Olympus SP-820UZ vs Sony NEX-7 Physical Comparison
If you're aiming to carry around your camera frequently, you are going to need to consider its weight and measurements. The Olympus SP-820UZ features exterior measurements of 117mm x 78mm x 93mm (4.6" x 3.1" x 3.7") with a weight of 485 grams (1.07 lbs) while the Sony NEX-7 has proportions of 120mm x 67mm x 43mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 1.7") accompanied by a weight of 400 grams (0.88 lbs).
Analyze the Olympus SP-820UZ and Sony NEX-7 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you are utilizing at that time. Below is a front view overall size comparison of the SP-820UZ against the NEX-7.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the SP-820UZ and NEX-7 is 69 and 84 respectively.

Olympus SP-820UZ vs Sony NEX-7 Sensor Comparison
More often than not, it can be hard to visualize the gap in sensor sizes just by researching specifications. The image underneath will offer you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the SP-820UZ and NEX-7.
To sum up, both of those cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The SP-820UZ because of its smaller sensor is going to make getting shallow DOF more difficult and the Sony NEX-7 will result in more detail utilizing its extra 10 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also help you crop shots more aggressively. The more recent SP-820UZ should have an edge with regard to sensor tech.

Olympus SP-820UZ vs Sony NEX-7 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus SP-820UZ vs Sony NEX-7 Specifications
Olympus Stylus SP-820UZ | Sony Alpha NEX-7 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Make | Olympus | Sony |
Model | Olympus Stylus SP-820UZ | Sony Alpha NEX-7 |
Type | Small Sensor Superzoom | Advanced Mirrorless |
Announced | 2012-08-21 | 2011-12-13 |
Physical type | Compact | Rangefinder-style mirrorless |
Sensor Information | ||
Processor | - | Bionz |
Sensor type | CMOS | CMOS |
Sensor size | 1/2.3" | APS-C |
Sensor measurements | 6.17 x 4.55mm | 23.5 x 15.6mm |
Sensor surface area | 28.1mm² | 366.6mm² |
Sensor resolution | 14 megapixel | 24 megapixel |
Anti aliasing filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 4:3 and 16:9 | 3:2 and 16:9 |
Peak resolution | 4288 x 3216 | 6000 x 4000 |
Highest native ISO | 6400 | 16000 |
Lowest native ISO | 80 | 100 |
RAW support | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
Touch focus | ||
AF continuous | ||
Single AF | ||
Tracking AF | ||
AF selectice | ||
AF center weighted | ||
Multi area AF | ||
Live view AF | ||
Face detect focusing | ||
Contract detect focusing | ||
Phase detect focusing | ||
Number of focus points | - | 25 |
Cross focus points | - | - |
Lens | ||
Lens mount | fixed lens | Sony E |
Lens focal range | 22-896mm (40.7x) | - |
Maximum aperture | f/3.4-5.7 | - |
Macro focus range | 1cm | - |
Available lenses | - | 121 |
Crop factor | 5.8 | 1.5 |
Screen | ||
Display type | Fixed Type | Tilting |
Display diagonal | 3" | 3" |
Resolution of display | 460k dots | 921k dots |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch operation | ||
Display tech | TFT Color LCD | - |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder | None | Electronic |
Viewfinder coverage | - | 100 percent |
Viewfinder magnification | - | 0.73x |
Features | ||
Minimum shutter speed | 4s | 30s |
Fastest shutter speed | 1/2000s | 1/4000s |
Continuous shutter rate | 2.0 frames/s | 10.0 frames/s |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manually set exposure | ||
Exposure compensation | - | Yes |
Change WB | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Integrated flash | ||
Flash range | 15.00 m | 6.00 m |
Flash settings | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless |
Hot shoe | ||
AEB | ||
WB bracketing | ||
Fastest flash synchronize | - | 1/160s |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment | ||
Average | ||
Spot | ||
Partial | ||
AF area | ||
Center weighted | ||
Video features | ||
Video resolutions | 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 120 fps), 320 x 180 (30, 240 fps) | 1920 x 1080 (60, 24 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) |
Highest video resolution | 1920x1080 | 1920x1080 |
Video format | MPEG-4, H.264 | MPEG-4, AVCHD |
Microphone support | ||
Headphone support | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | None | Eye-Fi Connected |
Bluetooth | ||
NFC | ||
HDMI | ||
USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
GPS | None | None |
Physical | ||
Environment sealing | ||
Water proof | ||
Dust proof | ||
Shock proof | ||
Crush proof | ||
Freeze proof | ||
Weight | 485g (1.07 lb) | 400g (0.88 lb) |
Physical dimensions | 117 x 78 x 93mm (4.6" x 3.1" x 3.7") | 120 x 67 x 43mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 1.7") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO Overall score | not tested | 81 |
DXO Color Depth score | not tested | 24.1 |
DXO Dynamic range score | not tested | 13.4 |
DXO Low light score | not tested | 1016 |
Other | ||
Battery life | - | 430 images |
Battery style | - | Battery Pack |
Battery model | - | NPFW50 |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec, pet auto shutter) | Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 or 5 images)) |
Time lapse recording | ||
Type of storage | SD/SDHC/SDXC | SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo |
Card slots | 1 | 1 |
Price at release | $299 | $699 |