Olympus E-400 vs Sony A580

Its time to examine more closely at the Olympus E-400 versus Sony A580, both Entry-Level DSLR digital cameras by competitors Olympus and Sony. There exists a significant gap between the sensor resolutions of the E-400 (10MP) and A580 (16MP) and the E-400 (Four Thirds) and A580 (APS-C) feature different sensor size.

Photography Glossary

The E-400 was manufactured 5 years earlier than the A580 which is quite a sizable gap as far as technology is concerned. Each of the cameras offer the identical body type (Compact SLR).

Before going straight into a complete comparison, below is a brief synopsis of how the E-400 scores against the A580 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Below is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus E-400 and Sony Alpha DSLR-A580. The entire galleries are available at Olympus E-400 Gallery and Sony A580 Gallery.

If you're going to travel with your camera, you are going to need to factor its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-400 has outer measurements of 130mm x 91mm x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") accompanied by a weight of 435 grams (0.96 lbs) while the Sony A580 has measurements of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") accompanied by a weight of 599 grams (1.32 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-400 versus Sony A580 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you are using at that time. Following is the front view dimension comparison of the E-400 compared to the A580.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-400 and A580 is 77 and 64 respectively.

Sometimes, it is difficult to imagine the contrast between sensor dimensions purely by reviewing specs. The pic underneath may give you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the E-400 and A580.

As you can plainly see, both the cameras enjoy different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The E-400 because of its tinier sensor is going to make shooting shallow depth of field more challenging and the Sony A580 will offer more detail due to its extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution will let you crop shots far more aggressively. The more aged E-400 is going to be behind with regard to sensor technology.