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Olympus SP-820UZ vs Sony S980

Portability
69
Imaging
37
Features
29
Overall
33
Olympus Stylus SP-820UZ front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S980 front
Portability
94
Imaging
34
Features
17
Overall
27

Olympus SP-820UZ vs Sony S980 Key Specs

Olympus SP-820UZ
(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
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
  • Announced February 2009
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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 Glossary

The 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.

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Reasons to pick Olympus SP-820UZ over the Sony S980

 SP-820UZ S980 
AnnouncedAugust 2012February 2009Newer by 43 months
Screen dimension3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution460k230kSharper 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 typeFixed 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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Olympus SP-820UZ vs Sony S980 size comparison

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 top view buttons comparison

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 sensor size comparison

Olympus SP-820UZ vs Sony S980 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus SP-820UZ vs Sony S980 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus SP-820UZ
Portrait photography with Sony S980
33
megapixel count good (14MP)
features face detect focus
manual focus not available
no manual control
no external flash support
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
27
manual focus
lack of manual exposure
no external flash support
low resolution (12 megapixels)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus SP-820UZ Street photography features
Sony S980 Street photography features
37
no moving screen
no image stabilization
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
more heavy than others (485 grams)
47
no moving screen
no image stabilization
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus SP-820UZ Sports photography highlights
Sony S980 Sports photography highlights
32
amazing zoom range (22-896mm 40.7 x zoom)
megapixel count good (14MP)
max frames per second low (2.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority mode
no image stabilization
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect auto focus
17
max frames per second low (1.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority
no image stabilization
low resolution (12MP)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus SP-820UZ Travel photography features
Sony S980 Travel photography features
55
megapixel count good (14MP)
has built in flash
quite wide (22mm)
great zoom (896mm)
lack of Timelapse recording
more heavy than others (485g)
display isn't selfie friendly
sluggish max aperture (f3.4)
51
built-in flash
no Timelapse mode
low resolution (12 megapixels)
display is not selfie friendly
wide angle not fantastic (33mm)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus SP-820UZ
Landscape photography with Sony S980
35
quite wide (22mm)
screen is a good size (3 inch)
megapixel count good (14 megapixels)
manual focus not available
cannot swap lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.4)
no manual control
no image stabilization
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
lack of Timelapse recording
27
manual focus
can't switch lens (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not fantastic (33mm)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.3)
screen is somewhat small (2.7")
lack of manual exposure
no image stabilization
low resolution (12 megapixels)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
no Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus SP-820UZ as a Vlogging camera
Sony S980 as a Vlogging camera
25
quite wide (22mm)
features face detect focus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
sluggish max aperture (f3.4)
display isn't selfie friendly
no image stabilization
lack of microphone jack
more heavy than others (485 grams)
22
wide angle not fantastic (33mm)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.3)
display is not selfie friendly
no image stabilization
low video resolution (1280 x 720 resolution)
no microphone socket
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Olympus SP-820UZ vs Sony S980 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus SP-820UZ and Sony S980
 Olympus Stylus SP-820UZSony 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