Olympus SZ-10 vs Olympus SZ-31MR iHS

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Olympus SZ-10 and the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS, highlighting the advantages of each over the other, discussing their pros and cons, shared strengths and weaknesses, and providing a rating based on their available features and specifications to assist you in choosing the one that best suits your needs.

Olympus SZ-10 was introduced in February 2011 and Olympus SZ-31MR iHS was introduced in February 2012. Let us first list highlights of the models.

Now that we've looked at the most essential specifications and gained a basic understanding of these cameras, we can delve into more details and see the differences between them.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Olympus SZ-10 over Olympus SZ-31MR iHS.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Olympus SZ-31MR iHS over Olympus SZ-10.

We already listed pros and cons of each model. However, you may also find useful to look at their common strengths and weaknesses shown side-by-side.

Screen

Olympus SZ-10 and Olympus SZ-31MR iHS have 3.0" Fixed screens with 460k dot and 920k dot resolutions respectively. Olympus SZ-31MR iHS also features touchscreen which has advantages such as easy menu navigation, intuitive controls, quick setting adjustment and most importantly a Touch-to-Focus functionality (available only on Olympus SZ-31MR iHS) allowing users to select a specific point on the screen where they want the camera to focus. This feature can be helpful for achieving precise focus in both photo and video recording.

Olympus SZ-10 features a 14 megapixel 1/2.3-inch CCD sensor with dimensions of 6.17 x 4.55 mm and a total area of 28.1 mm². Its native ISO range is 80 - 1,600. Olympus SZ-31MR iHS features a 16 megapixel 1/2.3-inch BSI-CMOS sensor with dimensions of 6.17 x 4.55 mm and a total area of 20.7 mm². Its native ISO range is 80 - 6,400.

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS has BSI-CMOS sensor, short for Backside Illuminated Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor sensor. In traditional CMOS sensors, the wiring and circuitry are located on the front side of the sensor, which can block some of the incoming light. BSI technology flips this design by placing the photosensitive elements (pixels) on the backside of the sensor, allowing more light to reach the pixels. This significantly enhances light sensitivity and improves low-light performance. BSI-CMOS sensors are particularly effective in low-light conditions, as they can capture more light, resulting in brighter and less noisy images. This makes them well-suited for indoor and night photography. BSI-CMOS sensors deliver a higher SNR and reduced cross-talk.

Olympus SZ-10 is equipped with TruePic III+ processor and can take pictures up to 4288 x 3216 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 4288 x 2416, 3264 x 2448, 2560 x 1920, 2048 x 1536, 1600 x 1200, 1280 x 960, 640 x 480 with 4:3, 16:9 aspect ratios. Olympus SZ-31MR iHS is equipped with Dual TruePic V processor and can take pictures up to 4608 x 3456 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 3264 x 2448, 2560 x 1920, 2048 x 1536, 1600 x 1200, 1280 x 960, 640 x 480 with 4:3, 16:9 aspect ratios.

Image Stabilization

The cameras have a built-in [y] image stabilization.

USB Inputs and HDMI Outputs

Both models have USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) inputs for data transfer. Olympus SZ-10 has an HDMI and Olympus SZ-31MR iHS has a Type D HDMI connector for video signal output.

Battery

Olympus SZ-10 and Olympus SZ-31MR iHS come with LI-50B battery pack with battery life of 220 shots on Olympus SZ-10 and with battery life of 200 shots on Olympus SZ-31MR iHS.

External Storage Slots

Cameras have a single SD/SDHC/SDXC card slot.

Shutter

Shutter speed can go up to 1/2000 sec on Olympus SZ-10, and up to 1/1700 sec on Olympus SZ-31MR iHS. Olympus SZ-10 can shoot continuously up to 0.9 fps. Olympus SZ-31MR iHS can shoot continuously up to 7.0 fps.

Flash

Cameras have built-in flash with maximum range of 7.10 m on Olympus SZ-10 and 9.30 m on Olympus SZ-31MR iHS..

Olympus SZ-10 body has dimensions of 106 x 67 x 38 mm (4.17 x 2.64 x 1.5") and Olympus SZ-31MR iHS body has dimensions of 106 x 69 x 40 mm (4.17 x 2.72 x 1.57"). Olympus SZ-10 weighs 215 g (0.47 lb / 7.58 oz) and Olympus SZ-31MR iHS weighs 226 g (0.50 lb / 7.97 oz).

Olympus SZ-10

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS

106 mm

67 mm

106 mm

69 mm

67 mm

69 mm

38 mm

40 mm