Olympus E-510 vs Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W800: A Detailed Comparison for Photographers

Choosing the right camera, especially between models as distinct as the Olympus E-510 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W800, demands more than just scanning specs. Having spent years with cameras at every level, I understand that real-world usage, ergonomics, and specific photographic needs often matter more than megapixels or burst rates alone. Today, I'll walk you through a comprehensive, side-by-side exploration of these two cameras - one a classic advanced DSLR and the other a budget-friendly compact point-and-shoot. Whether you're a seasoned enthusiast or a beginner keen on understanding your options, this comparison will spotlight their nuanced strengths and weaknesses across key photography disciplines.

First Impressions: Design, Size, and Handling

When I first pick up the Olympus E-510 and the Sony W800 side by side, the difference in physical presence is unmistakable. The E-510 embodies the heft and ergonomics of a traditional DSLR, while the W800 is all about minimalism and portability.

The Olympus E-510 sports a mid-sized DSLR body measuring 136x92x68 mm and weighing 490 grams. Its grip and button layout foster an assertive feel; you instantly sense it’s built for users wanting manual control and durability. The Sony W800, by contrast, measures just 97x55x21 mm and weighs a featherlight 125 grams. Its ultra-compact shell is designed for convenience and casual shooting on the go, great for slipping into a pocket or small bag during travel.

Ergonomically, the E-510’s weight and size enable stable handholding, especially useful with heavier lenses. The W800’s slick plastic body and lack of a proper grip compromise handling if you need precision. For those who prioritize shooting comfort on longer outings or with long telephoto lenses, the Olympus clearly wins here. However, if you want grab-and-shoot simplicity or a secondary travel camera, the Sony shines as an ultra-portable option.

Up Close With the Controls: A Photographer's Dashboard

Diving deeper into operation and controls - which massively influence usability - the Olympus E-510 leans on a traditional DSLR command layout, whereas the W800 opts for restrained, simplified interfaces.

The E-510 features dedicated dials for shutter speed, aperture priority, exposure compensation, and quick access buttons for white balance and metering modes. Its control cluster offers tactile feedback and precision. Photographers who love tweaking settings manually, especially in challenging lighting, will appreciate this setup.

The Sony W800 lacks any manual exposure modes (no shutter or aperture priority), no exposure compensation dial, and limited button options. It uses an automatic mode with some scene presets, aimed at users who prefer point-and-shoot ease rather than manual intervention.

From a professional or enthusiast standpoint, Olympus’s design empowers creative control, vital for portrait, wildlife, and macro photography where subtle exposure adjustments matter. Sony’s design, while intuitive, feels quite basic and restricting beyond snapshots, especially for those wanting to push creative boundaries.

Sensor Technology & Image Quality - What’s Under the Hood?

Image quality usually anchors the buying decision. Let’s get technical: sensor size, resolution, and the resulting images.

The Olympus E-510 employs a Four Thirds CMOS sensor sized 17.3x13 mm with 10 MP resolution. According to DxOMark testing, it scores a respectable overall 52, with excellent color depth (21.2 bits) and dynamic range (~10 EV). Its sensor area, roughly 225 mm², is large enough to capture impressive details and offer good noise control at base ISOs.

Conversely, the Sony W800 has a tiny 1/2.3” CCD sensor measuring 6.17x4.55 mm - just 28 mm² - with a high pixel count of 20 MP. Despite the pixel advantage on paper, small sensor size limits light gathering, making it more prone to noise under low light. Sony's image processor here is designed for general casual snapshots, sacrificing nuance for compactness.

In real shooting scenarios, this gap manifests clearly. I found the E-510 produces cleaner images with better tonal gradation, deeper colors, and more natural skin tones - essential for portrait and landscape shooters. The Sony excels in bright outdoor conditions but struggles with noise and detail in dimmer environments.

Viewing Experience: LCD and Viewfinder Capabilities

How you frame and review images can dramatically affect shooting and editing workflows. The Olympus offers an optical pentamirror viewfinder covering 95% of the frame and 0.46× magnification, plus a 2.5-inch fixed LCD at 230K dots. The Sony W800 lacks a viewfinder altogether but sports a slightly larger 2.7-inch 230K-dot TFT LCD.

While the Olympus’s optical viewfinder provides a real-time, lag-free framing option crucial for fast action or bright conditions, its brightness and resolution lag behind modern standards. The rear LCDs on both cameras are similar in resolution, but I found the E-510’s screen colors to be more accurate, aiding in exposure assessment and image review.

For street or travel photographers who rely almost entirely on LCD framing, the W800’s format is sufficient. But enthusiasts will miss the eye-level viewfinder experience on Sony, making follow-up shots less intuitive under harsh daylight.

Core Photography Disciplines: Strengths and Use Cases

Portrait Photography

Portrait work demands accurate skin tone rendition, creamy bokeh, and reliable autofocus - all things the Olympus E-510 addresses better than the Sony W800.

The E-510’s sensor size, combined with Micro Four Thirds lenses, enables pleasing background separation. Its phasedetection AF system and selective autofocus modes provide decent accuracy, crucial for locking focus on eyes. Although it lacks face/eye detection, the manual focus override aids creative expression.

The W800, lacking manual focus or aperture control, uses digital tricks and small sensor technology. Its autofocus is contrast-based, slower and less precise, and the fixed lens offers a moderate F3.2 aperture, limiting bokeh capabilities.

Landscape Photography

Landscapes benefit from dynamic range, resolution, and weather durability.

The Olympus E-510’s 10 MP “Four Thirds” sensor offers a wider dynamic range than typical compact cameras. It lets photographers recover shadows and highlights better in RAW files - a must for HDR or twilight scenes. Its robust build, though not weather sealed, is still more durable than the W800’s delicate plastic shell.

The W800's 20 MP sensor resolution is tempting for large prints, but its limited dynamic range and noise performance curtail its usability for serious landscape shooters. No weather sealing and a fragile body also restrict outdoor exposure.

Wildlife and Sports Photography

Fast autofocus, burst shooting, and good telephoto reach are pillars here.

The Olympus E-510 integrates 3-phase detection AF points with 3 FPS burst speed. Moderate, but usable for casual wildlife or sports shots. Its 2.1x crop factor means telephoto lenses effectively reach longer focal lengths, aiding wildlife photographers on budget.

The Sony W800's 1 FPS burst limits fast action capture, and contrast-detection AF struggles to keep pace with unpredictable subject movements. Its 5x zoom is handy but not poultry or bird photography grade.

Macro Photography

Macro demands focusing precision and stabilization.

The Olympus wins with sensor-based image stabilization and compatibility with dedicated macro lenses. You can finesse focus manually for intricate close-ups.

The Sony’s fixed lens and simpler AF system severely hamper macro effectiveness.

Night and Astro Photography

Night-time shooters prize low-noise high ISO and extended exposure capabilities.

The Olympus E-510’s sensor handles up to ISO 1600 with relatively low noise; combined with long shutter speeds (up to 60 seconds), it’s better suited for astrophotography or low-light scenes. The ability to shoot in RAW and perform exposure bracketing supports advanced night techniques.

The W800 caps shutter speed at 1.5 seconds max, with noisier output at its highest ISO, making it an inadequate choice for night or astro photography.

Video Capabilities: Basic or Nonexistent?

Neither camera aims to be a video powerhouse, but Sony W800 at least offers modest HD video recording (720p at 30 fps). Olympus E-510 lacks video entirely, typical of 2007 DSLRs.

If video is important to you, the W800 allows casual home video capture; however, its lack of microphone input and basic stabilization limit quality. The Olympus offers none, so video shooters should look elsewhere.

Battery Life, Storage, and Connectivity

The E-510 uses Compact Flash or xD storage cards, both largely obsolete today and less flexible than SD cards. Sony’s W800 supports ubiquitous SD and Memory Stick formats.

Battery life figures for both are not explicitly stated but, based on experience with similar cameras, the heavier Olympus will drain faster due to larger sensor-related power demands and optical viewfinder use, despite a bigger battery.

Neither camera offers wireless connectivity, Bluetooth, NFC, or GPS, expected at these budget or legacy levels.

Lens Ecosystem and Expandability

One big advantage of the Olympus lies in the ecosystem.

Its Micro Four Thirds mount connects to an extensive range of lenses - even though the E-510 predates the lens mount standardization fully, it supports many legacy Zuiko lenses too. This flexibility appeals to enthusiasts who want to experiment from wide-angle panoramas to super telephoto wildlife setups.

The Sony W800, fixed lens only, restricts users to what the built-in 26-130 mm lens offers. Though convenient, this limits creative versatility.

Durability and Weather Resistance

Both cameras lack weather sealing or ruggedized bodies. However, Olympus’s more solid build and heavier frame offer better protection against bumps and light mist than the Sony’s delicate plastic casing. If you intend to shoot outdoor landscapes or wildlife regularly, Olympus is more trustworthy.

Real-World Performance Summary and Image Samples

Let's put the performance to the test with real images captured under controlled conditions using both cameras.

Olympus E 510 front Olympus E 510 screen back Sony W800 front Sony W800 screen back

The Olympus E-510 images showcase cleaner details, natural color balance, and smoother gradients, especially in portraits and shadowy environments. Sony W800 photos are brighter overall in well-lit scenes but noisier and less detailed in shadows.

Sports action shots from Olympus retain decent sharpness with manageable motion blur at 3 FPS, while Sony notably misses focus and detail due to slow autofocus.

How Both Cameras Score Overall and By Genre

Here's a quick visual snap of their performance ratings:

Olympus E-510 leads in:

• Image quality
• Manual control
• Lens versatility
• Landscape and portrait results

Sony W800 excels at:

• Portability
• Budget accessibility
• Basic snapshot shooting

And here’s a breakdown across photographic genres:

Who Should Buy the Olympus E-510?

The Olympus E-510 is a surprisingly capable camera for its age. If you appreciate manual control, are invested in creative photography ranging from portraits to landscapes, and want to grow with a flexible lens system, it’s an excellent choice - especially for enthusiasts on a budget. Its sensor and AF system remain relevant for many uses, and its solid build and image stabilization make it a reliable field companion.

Who Is the Sony W800 Right For?

If you’re looking for the absolute simplest camera for casual photos, travel snapshots, or as an entry-level compact, the W800 offers nimble portability at a bargain price. It’s great for families, beginners, or as a backup camera when you want to travel light.

However, its limitations in manual control, low-light performance, and image quality restrict it to casual use rather than serious photography.

Conclusion: Two Cameras, Very Different Worlds

In a nutshell:

• Olympus E-510 - an advanced DSLR providing control, image quality, and expandability for enthusiasts and semi-pros. Its 10 MP Four Thirds sensor and manual features hold up well for portraits, landscapes, and versatile photography disciplines beyond casual snapshots.

• Sony Cyber-shot W800 - a humble compact built for convenience and casual shooting, offering high megapixels in a tiny sensor but limited creative control and image quality.

Your choice ultimately depends on your photographic ambitions and budget. For hands-on photographers craving quality and flexibility, I recommend the Olympus E-510. For casual photographers or travelers desiring a lightweight, easy-to-use camera for quick moments, Sony’s W800 remains a viable option.

Final Thoughts From My Experience

Over thousands of hours testing, I repeatedly find the difference between cameras lies most in how they let you express creativity - not just their technical specs. The Olympus E-510 is a testament to thoughtful design and enthusiast features that still inspire decades later. Meanwhile, the Sony W800 fulfills its role as a simple snapshot tool, a reminder that compact cameras have their place even in smartphone-saturated markets.

Either way, understanding how each camera performs in the real world - across genres and lighting situations - empowers you to make choices tailored to your style and needs.

Happy shooting!