Olympus E-510 vs Sony S980

The following is a comprehensive analysis of the Olympus E-510 and Sony S980, one is a Advanced DSLR and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by rivals Olympus and Sony. The image resolution of the E-510 (10MP) and the S980 (12MP) is relatively close but the E-510 (Four Thirds) and S980 (1/2.3") possess different sensor size.

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The E-510 was released 15 months prior to the S980 which makes the cameras a generation away from one another. Both the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-510 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony S980 being a Compact camera.

Before delving through a full comparison, below is a brief highlight of how the E-510 matches up versus the S980 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

This is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus E-510 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S980. The complete galleries are viewable at Olympus E-510 Gallery and Sony S980 Gallery.

If you're going to travel with your camera regularly, you have to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-510 offers outer measurements of 136mm x 92mm x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") having a weight of 490 grams (1.08 lbs) and the Sony S980 has dimensions of 93mm x 56mm x 24mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") with a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs).

See the Olympus E-510 and Sony S980 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you have chosen at that time. Below is the front view dimension comparison of the E-510 compared to the S980.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-510 and S980 is 69 and 94 respectively.

Normally, it is hard to picture the difference in sensor dimensions only by looking through technical specs. The picture here might give you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-510 and S980.

As you can tell, each of the cameras offer different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The E-510 because of its bigger sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field less difficult and the Sony S980 will result in extra detail as a result of its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also let you crop shots a little more aggressively. The more aged E-510 will be behind when it comes to sensor technology.