Olympus E-1 vs Olympus VG-160

Below is a in depth analysis of the Olympus E-1 and Olympus VG-160, former being a Pro DSLR while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact and both of them are designed by Olympus. There exists a sizable gap among the sensor resolutions of the E-1 (5MP) and VG-160 (14MP) and the E-1 (Four Thirds) and VG-160 (1/2.3") feature totally different sensor size.

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The E-1 was revealed 9 years before the VG-160 and that is a fairly significant difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-1 being a Large SLR camera and the Olympus VG-160 being a Compact camera.

Before diving straight into a in-depth comparison, below is a concise introduction of how the E-1 scores against the VG-160 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus E-1 & Olympus VG-160. The full galleries are available at Olympus E-1 Gallery & Olympus VG-160 Gallery.

For anyone who is looking to lug around your camera often, you will want to think about its weight and size. The Olympus E-1 has got physical measurements of 141mm x 104mm x 81mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.2") having a weight of 735 grams (1.62 lbs) and the Olympus VG-160 has specifications of 96mm x 57mm x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") and a weight of 125 grams (0.28 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-1 and Olympus VG-160 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you select at that moment. Here is the front view overall size comparison of the E-1 against the VG-160.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-1 and VG-160 is 59 and 96 respectively.

Typically, it can be difficult to see the contrast in sensor measurements purely by going through specifications. The graphic here might give you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the E-1 and VG-160.

To sum up, the two cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-1 having a bigger sensor will make achieving shallow depth of field easier and the Olympus VG-160 will provide more detail because of its extra 9 Megapixels. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop photographs much more aggressively. The older E-1 will be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.