Olympus FE-4000 vs Sony A900

Below, we will be evaluating the Olympus FE-4000 and Sony A900, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Advanced DSLR by brands Olympus and Sony. There is a sizeable difference among the sensor resolutions of the FE-4000 (12MP) and A900 (25MP) and the FE-4000 (1/2.3") and A900 (Full frame) possess different sensor sizes.

Photography Glossary

The FE-4000 was launched 10 months later than the A900 so they are both of a similar generation. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus FE-4000 being a Compact camera and the Sony A900 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before diving in to a in depth comparison, below is a concise overview of how the FE-4000 matches up versus the A900 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Here is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus FE-4000 and Sony Alpha DSLR-A900. The complete galleries are available at Olympus FE-4000 Gallery and Sony A900 Gallery.

If you're going to carry your camera frequently, you'll have to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Olympus FE-4000 offers outer dimensions of 95mm x 57mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") with a weight of 136 grams (0.30 lbs) while the Sony A900 has dimensions of 156mm x 117mm x 82mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 3.2") and a weight of 895 grams (1.97 lbs).

Examine the Olympus FE-4000 and Sony A900 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you have attached at that time. Here is the front view size comparison of the FE-4000 and the A900.

Using size and weight, the portability score of the FE-4000 and A900 is 95 and 54 respectively.

Often, it can be hard to imagine the contrast in sensor sizing just by viewing specs. The graphic below will provide you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the FE-4000 and A900.

As you can plainly see, both cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The FE-4000 featuring a smaller sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field trickier and the Sony A900 will result in extra detail utilizing its extra 13 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop pictures somewhat more aggressively. The fresher FE-4000 provides a benefit with regard to sensor tech.