Olympus E-510 vs Sony RX100 VA

Let's look a little more closely at the Olympus E-510 and Sony RX100 VA, one being a Advanced DSLR and the other is a Large Sensor Compact by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. There exists a huge gap between the sensor resolutions of the E-510 (10MP) and RX100 VA (20MP) and the E-510 (Four Thirds) and RX100 VA (1") enjoy totally different sensor sizing.

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The E-510 was brought out 11 years prior to the RX100 VA and that is quite a significant gap as far as technology is concerned. The two cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-510 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony RX100 VA being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before getting straight into a complete comparison, below is a simple synopsis of how the E-510 grades vs the RX100 VA in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Following is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus E-510 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 V(A). The entire galleries are available at Olympus E-510 Gallery and Sony RX100 VA Gallery.

For those who are going to carry your camera frequently, you'll need to think about its weight and size. The Olympus E-510 offers outside dimensions of 136mm x 92mm x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") having a weight of 490 grams (1.08 lbs) whilst the Sony RX100 VA has specifications of 102mm x 58mm x 41mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.6") and a weight of 299 grams (0.66 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-510 and Sony RX100 VA in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you are employing during that time. Below is the front view sizing comparison of the E-510 and the RX100 VA.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-510 and RX100 VA is 69 and 89 respectively.

More often than not, it is very difficult to visualise the contrast between sensor sizing just by reading specifications. The photograph below might provide you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-510 and RX100 VA.

To sum up, both of the cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-510 due to its larger sensor will make shooting shallower DOF simpler and the Sony RX100 VA will offer you more detail having its extra 10MP. Greater resolution will also help you crop images somewhat more aggressively. The older E-510 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor technology.