Olympus FE-4000 vs Sony A500

Here, we will be contrasting the Olympus FE-4000 and Sony A500, one is a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by brands Olympus and Sony. The sensor resolution of the FE-4000 (12MP) and the A500 (12MP) is pretty comparable but the FE-4000 (1/2.3") and A500 (APS-C) provide totally different sensor measurements.

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The FE-4000 was unveiled very close to the A500 so they are of a similar generation. Both the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus FE-4000 being a Compact camera and the Sony A500 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before going into a full comparison, here is a simple highlight of how the FE-4000 scores against the A500 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus FE-4000 and Sony Alpha DSLR-A500. The full galleries are available at Olympus FE-4000 Gallery and Sony A500 Gallery.

For anyone who is going to carry around your camera frequently, you have to factor its weight and measurements. The Olympus FE-4000 enjoys outside measurements of 95mm x 57mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") accompanied by a weight of 136 grams (0.30 lbs) whilst the Sony A500 has proportions of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") with a weight of 630 grams (1.39 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus FE-4000 and Sony A500 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you choose at the time. Underneath is a front view measurements comparison of the FE-4000 compared to the A500.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the FE-4000 and A500 is 95 and 63 respectively.

More often than not, it is very difficult to visualise the difference in sensor sizes just by going through a spec sheet. The picture underneath may give you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the FE-4000 and A500.

Clearly, the two cameras come with the identical megapixels albeit not the same sensor sizes. The FE-4000 contains the smaller sensor which should make achieving bokeh trickier.