Olympus E-510 vs Olympus VG-160

Below, we are comparing the Olympus E-510 vs Olympus VG-160, one is a Advanced DSLR and the other is a Small Sensor Compact and they are both produced by Olympus. There exists a huge gap among the resolutions of the E-510 (10MP) and VG-160 (14MP) and the E-510 (Four Thirds) and VG-160 (1/2.3") enjoy totally different sensor size.

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The E-510 was revealed 5 years before the VG-160 which is a fairly significant gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-510 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Olympus VG-160 being a Compact camera.

Before diving in to a comprehensive comparison, below is a simple synopsis of how the E-510 grades vs the VG-160 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus E-510 and Olympus VG-160. The full galleries are available at Olympus E-510 Gallery and Olympus VG-160 Gallery.

For those who are aiming to travel with your camera often, you'll have to factor its weight and volume. The Olympus E-510 provides exterior dimensions of 136mm x 92mm x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") with a weight of 490 grams (1.08 lbs) and the Olympus VG-160 has sizing of 96mm x 57mm x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") accompanied by a weight of 125 grams (0.28 lbs).

See the Olympus E-510 vs Olympus VG-160 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you use during that time. The following is the front view dimension comparison of the E-510 compared to the VG-160.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-510 and VG-160 is 69 and 96 respectively.

More often than not, it is very tough to visualise the contrast in sensor dimensions simply by looking through specifications. The picture here will help provide you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the E-510 and VG-160.

To sum up, each of the cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The E-510 having a larger sensor will make achieving shallow DOF less difficult and the Olympus VG-160 will render more detail because of its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also allow you to crop images much more aggressively. The more aged E-510 will be behind with regard to sensor tech.