Olympus SP-820UZ vs Sony S980
69 Imaging
37 Features
29 Overall
33
94 Imaging
34 Features
17 Overall
27
Olympus SP-820UZ vs Sony S980 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
- Revealed August 2012
- Earlier Model is Olympus SP-820UZ
- Successor is Olympus SP-820UZ
(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
- Announced February 2009
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes Olympus SP-820UZ vs Sony S980 Overview
The following is a detailed comparison of the Olympus SP-820UZ vs Sony S980, one is a Small Sensor Superzoom and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by rivals Olympus and Sony. The image resolution of the SP-820UZ (14MP) and the S980 (12MP) is relatively close and they possess the exact same sensor sizes (1/2.3").
Photography GlossaryThe SP-820UZ was released 3 years after the S980 which is a fairly large gap as far as camera technology is concerned. The two cameras come with the identical body type (Compact).
Before getting through a complete comparison, below is a simple highlight of how the SP-820UZ scores versus the S980 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide Olympus SP-820UZ vs Sony S980 Gallery
This is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus Stylus SP-820UZ and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S980. The complete galleries are viewable at Olympus SP-820UZ Gallery and Sony S980 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus SP-820UZ over the Sony S980
| SP-820UZ | S980 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Announced | August 2012 | February 2009 | Newer by 43 months | |
| Screen dimension | 3" | 2.7" | Bigger screen (+0.3") | |
| Screen resolution | 460k | 230k | Sharper screen (+230k dot) |
Reasons to pick Sony S980 over the Olympus SP-820UZ
| S980 | SP-820UZ | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manually focus | More exact focusing |
Common features in the Olympus SP-820UZ and Sony S980
| SP-820UZ | S980 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Screen type | Fixed | Fixed | Fixed screen | |
| Selfie screen | Absent selfie screen | |||
| Touch friendly screen | Absent Touch friendly screen |
Olympus SP-820UZ vs Sony S980 Physical Comparison
When you are intending to travel with your camera, you need to factor its weight and size. The Olympus SP-820UZ offers outer measurements of 117mm x 78mm x 93mm (4.6" x 3.1" x 3.7") along with a weight of 485 grams (1.07 lbs) and the Sony S980 has specifications of 93mm x 56mm x 24mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") along with a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs).
Check the Olympus SP-820UZ vs Sony S980 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you have at that time. The following is the front view dimension comparison of the SP-820UZ compared to the S980.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the SP-820UZ and S980 is 69 and 94 respectively.
Olympus SP-820UZ vs Sony S980 Sensor Comparison
More often than not, it's hard to visualize the gap in sensor dimensions only by looking through a spec sheet. The pic underneath should give you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the SP-820UZ and S980.
As you can see, the two cameras have got the exact same sensor measurements albeit different megapixels. You should count on the Olympus SP-820UZ to render greater detail as a result of its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop pictures much more aggressively. The more recent SP-820UZ provides an edge when it comes to sensor tech.
Olympus SP-820UZ vs Sony S980 Screen and ViewFinder
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD CardsStreet Comparison
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firmsSports Comparison
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or banTravel Comparison
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created ImagesLandscape Comparison
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next monthVlogging Comparison
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone
Olympus SP-820UZ vs Sony S980 Specifications
| Olympus Stylus SP-820UZ | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S980 | |
|---|---|---|
| General Information | ||
| Manufacturer | Olympus | Sony |
| Model type | Olympus Stylus SP-820UZ | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S980 |
| Type | Small Sensor Superzoom | Small Sensor Compact |
| Revealed | 2012-08-21 | 2009-02-17 |
| Physical type | Compact | Compact |
| Sensor Information | ||
| Sensor type | CMOS | CCD |
| Sensor size | 1/2.3" | 1/2.3" |
| Sensor measurements | 6.17 x 4.55mm | 6.17 x 4.55mm |
| Sensor area | 28.1mm² | 28.1mm² |
| Sensor resolution | 14MP | 12MP |
| Anti alias filter | ||
| Aspect ratio | 4:3 and 16:9 | 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 |
| Maximum resolution | 4288 x 3216 | 4000 x 3000 |
| Maximum native ISO | 6400 | 3200 |
| Lowest native ISO | 80 | 80 |
| RAW format | ||
| Autofocusing | ||
| Manual focusing | ||
| Touch focus | ||
| Continuous autofocus | ||
| Autofocus single | ||
| Tracking autofocus | ||
| Selective autofocus | ||
| Center weighted autofocus | ||
| Autofocus multi area | ||
| Autofocus live view | ||
| Face detect autofocus | ||
| Contract detect autofocus | ||
| Phase detect autofocus | ||
| Total focus points | - | 9 |
| Cross type focus points | - | - |
| Lens | ||
| Lens mount type | fixed lens | fixed lens |
| Lens zoom range | 22-896mm (40.7x) | 33-132mm (4.0x) |
| Maximal aperture | f/3.4-5.7 | f/3.3-5.2 |
| Macro focusing distance | 1cm | 10cm |
| Crop factor | 5.8 | 5.8 |
| Screen | ||
| Type of display | Fixed Type | Fixed Type |
| Display diagonal | 3 inches | 2.7 inches |
| Display resolution | 460 thousand dots | 230 thousand dots |
| Selfie friendly | ||
| Liveview | ||
| Touch screen | ||
| Display tech | TFT Color LCD | - |
| Viewfinder Information | ||
| Viewfinder | None | None |
| Features | ||
| Lowest shutter speed | 4 seconds | 2 seconds |
| Highest shutter speed | 1/2000 seconds | 1/1600 seconds |
| Continuous shooting rate | 2.0 frames/s | 1.0 frames/s |
| Shutter priority | ||
| Aperture priority | ||
| Manually set exposure | ||
| Custom white balance | ||
| Image stabilization | ||
| Inbuilt flash | ||
| Flash distance | 15.00 m | 3.50 m |
| Flash options | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync |
| Hot shoe | ||
| AE bracketing | ||
| WB bracketing | ||
| Exposure | ||
| Multisegment | ||
| Average | ||
| Spot | ||
| Partial | ||
| AF area | ||
| Center weighted | ||
| Video features | ||
| Supported video resolutions | 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 120 fps), 320 x 180 (30, 240 fps) | 1280 x 720 (30 fps) 640 x 480 (30 fps) |
| Maximum video resolution | 1920x1080 | 1280x720 |
| Video format | MPEG-4, H.264 | Motion JPEG |
| Microphone port | ||
| Headphone port | ||
| Connectivity | ||
| Wireless | None | None |
| Bluetooth | ||
| NFC | ||
| HDMI | ||
| USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
| GPS | None | None |
| Physical | ||
| Environment sealing | ||
| Water proofing | ||
| Dust proofing | ||
| Shock proofing | ||
| Crush proofing | ||
| Freeze proofing | ||
| Weight | 485 gr (1.07 lbs) | 167 gr (0.37 lbs) |
| Dimensions | 117 x 78 x 93mm (4.6" x 3.1" x 3.7") | 93 x 56 x 24mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") |
| DXO scores | ||
| DXO All around 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 | ||
| Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec, pet auto shutter) | Yes (2 or 10 sec) |
| Time lapse feature | ||
| Storage type | SD/SDHC/SDXC | Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo, Internal |
| Card slots | One | One |
| Cost at launch | $299 | $300 |