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Olympus SP-820UZ vs Sony A37

Portability
69 Imaging
38 Features
29 Overall
34
Olympus Stylus SP-820UZ front
 
Sony SLT-A37 front
Portability
67 Imaging
57 Features
65 Overall
60

Olympus SP-820UZ vs Sony A37 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
  • Released August 2012
  • Superseded the Olympus SP-820UZ
  • Updated by Olympus SP-820UZ
Sony A37
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 2.6" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 506g - 124 x 92 x 85mm
  • Released May 2012
  • Succeeded the Sony A35
Photography Glossary

Olympus SP-820UZ vs Sony A37 Overview

Let's look a bit more closely at the Olympus SP-820UZ versus Sony A37, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Olympus and Sony. The sensor resolution of the SP-820UZ (14MP) and the A37 (16MP) is relatively well matched but the SP-820UZ (1/2.3") and A37 (APS-C) enjoy different sensor size.

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The SP-820UZ was unveiled 4 months after the A37 and they are of a similar age. The two cameras come with different body type with the Olympus SP-820UZ being a Compact camera and the Sony A37 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before getting in to a in depth comparison, below is a simple highlight of how the SP-820UZ grades against the A37 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus SP-820UZ over the Sony A37

		

		

			
 SP-820UZ A37 
Screen dimension3"2.6"Bigger screen (+0.4")
Screen resolution460k230kCrisper screen (+230k dot)
		

	

	
	

		

		
Reasons to pick Sony A37 over the Olympus SP-820UZ

		

		

			
 A37 SP-820UZ 
Manual focus  Very accurate focus
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
		

	

	
	

		

		
Common features in the Olympus SP-820UZ and Sony A37

		

		

			
 SP-820UZ A37 
ReleasedAugust 2012May 2012Similar age
Selfie screen  Missing selfie screen
Touch screen  Missing Touch screen
		

	

	

	
	
	
	

	

		

		
Olympus SP-820UZ vs Sony A37 Physical Comparison

		

		

			
For anybody who is looking to carry around your camera, you should consider its weight and proportions. The Olympus SP-820UZ has got exterior 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 A37 has measurements of 124mm x 92mm x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3") with a weight of 506 grams (1.12 lbs).
Contrast the Olympus SP-820UZ versus Sony A37 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses
Remember, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you choose during that time. The following is the front view overall size comparison of the SP-820UZ compared to the A37.
Olympus SP-820UZ vs Sony A37 size comparison
Factoring in size and weight, the portability rating of the SP-820UZ and A37 is 69 and 67 respectively.
Olympus SP-820UZ vs Sony A37 top view buttons comparison		

	

	
	

		

		
Olympus SP-820UZ vs Sony A37 Sensor Comparison

		

		

			
Usually, it is very tough to imagine the gap between sensor sizes simply by checking technical specs. The image underneath will help provide you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the SP-820UZ and A37.
As you have seen, both of those cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The SP-820UZ having a tinier sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field more difficult and the Sony A37 will give you greater detail having an extra 2MP. Higher resolution will enable you to crop photographs much more aggressively.
	
			Olympus SP-820UZ vs Sony A37 sensor size comparison			
		

	

	
	

		

		
Olympus SP-820UZ vs Sony A37 Screen and ViewFinder

		

		

					

		Olympus SP-820UZ vs Sony A37 Screen and Viewfinder comparison	

	
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Photography Type Scores

		

	

	
Portrait Comparison
Olympus SP-820UZ Portrait photography advice
Sony A37 Portrait photography advice
34
 good MP (14MP)
 has face detect focusing
 focusing manually not possible
 lack of manual mode
 cannot use external flash
 sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
 doesn't have RAW format
74
 you can focus manually
 MP count good (16MP)
 good sensor size (APS-C)
 features face detect autofocus
 delivers RAW formats
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Street Comparison
Olympus SP-820UZ Street photography features
Sony A37 Street photography features
37
 no articulating screen
 no image stabilization
 sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
 doesn't have RAW format
 more heavy than others (485g)
77
 tilting screen
 built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
 good sensor size (APS-C)
 delivers RAW formats
 above average ISO range (25,600)
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Sports Comparison
Olympus SP-820UZ Sports photography information
Sony A37 Sports photography information
33
 long zoom range (22-896mm  40.7 x zoom)
 good MP (14 megapixels)
 continuous shooting slow (2.0 fps)
 no shutter priority mode
 no image stabilization
 sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
 doesn't have phase detect AF
61
 built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
 MP count good (16MP)
 good sensor size (APS-C)
 sensor has phase detect autofocus
 very slow continuous shooting (6.0 frames/s)
 low battery life (500 shots)
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Travel Comparison
Olympus SP-820UZ Travel photography details
Sony A37 Travel photography details
55
 good MP (14 megapixels)
 has built in flash
 fairly wide (22mm)
 long zoom (896mm)
 does not have Timelapse recording
 more heavy than others (485 grams)
 doesn't feature selfie friendly display
 sluggish max aperture (f3.4)
54
 MP count good (16MP)
 built-in flash
 lack of Time Lapse function
 low battery life (500 per charge)
 display is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison
 Olympus SP-820UZ as a Landscape photography camera
 Sony A37 as a Landscape photography camera
35
 fairly wide (22mm)
 nice screen size (3")
 good MP (14MP)
 focusing manually not possible
 cannot switch lens (fixed lens mount)
 sluggish max aperture (f3.4)
 lack of manual mode
 no image stabilization
 sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
 doesn't have RAW format
 does not have Timelapse recording
64
 you can focus manually
 switch lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
 built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
 MP count good (16 megapixels)
 good sensor size (APS-C)
 above average ISO range (25,600)
 delivers RAW formats
 screen is somewhat small (2.6")
 low battery life (500 shots)
 lack of Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison
 Olympus SP-820UZ as a Vlogging camera
 Sony A37 as a Vlogging camera
25
 fairly wide (22mm)
 has face detect focusing
 video res high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
 sluggish max aperture (f3.4)
 doesn't feature selfie friendly display
 no image stabilization
 does not have microphone jack
 more heavy than others (485 grams)
35
 built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
 features face detect autofocus
 video res high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
 includes mic socket
 display is not selfie friendly
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Olympus SP-820UZ vs Sony A37 Specifications

		

		

					

		
		

			Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus SP-820UZ and Sony A37
 Olympus Stylus SP-820UZSony SLT-A37
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus Stylus SP-820UZ Sony SLT-A37
Class Small Sensor Superzoom Entry-Level DSLR
Released 2012-08-21 2012-05-16
Physical type Compact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 14 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti alias filter    
Aspect ratio 4:3 and  16:9 3:2 and  16:9
Peak resolution 4288 x 3216 4912 x 3264
Highest native ISO 6400 25600
Min native ISO 80 100
RAW photos    
Autofocusing
Manual focusing    
Touch to focus    
Continuous autofocus    
Single autofocus    
Autofocus tracking    
Selective autofocus    
Autofocus center weighted    
Autofocus multi area    
Autofocus live view    
Face detect autofocus    
Contract detect autofocus    
Phase detect autofocus    
Total focus points - 15
Cross type focus points - 3
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens zoom range 22-896mm (40.7x) -
Max aperture f/3.4-5.7 -
Macro focusing range 1cm -
Available lenses - 143
Crop factor 5.8 1.5
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Tilting
Display size 3 inches 2.6 inches
Resolution of display 460 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly    
Liveview    
Touch screen    
Display technology TFT Color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,440 thousand dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.73x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 4 secs 30 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shutter rate 2.0 frames/s 6.0 frames/s
Shutter priority    
Aperture priority    
Manually set exposure    
Exposure compensation - Yes
Change white balance    
Image stabilization    
Inbuilt flash    
Flash distance 15.00 m 12.00 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
External flash    
Auto exposure bracketing    
WB bracketing    
Fastest flash synchronize - 1/160 secs
Exposure
Multisegment metering    
Average metering    
Spot metering    
Partial metering    
AF area metering    
Center weighted metering    
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) 1920 x 1080 (60, 29.97 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 640 x 424 (29.97 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Mic port    
Headphone port    
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 proofing    
Dust proofing    
Shock proofing    
Crush proofing    
Freeze proofing    
Weight 485g (1.07 pounds) 506g (1.12 pounds)
Dimensions 117 x 78 x 93mm (4.6" x 3.1" x 3.7") 124 x 92 x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested 75
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 23.3
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 12.9
DXO Low light rating not tested 799
Other
Battery life - 500 shots
Battery type - Battery Pack
Battery ID - NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, pet auto shutter) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10 sec 3 or 5 images)
Time lapse shooting    
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots Single Single
Pricing at release $299 $522