Olympus FE-4000 vs Sony A57

Its time to examine more in depth at the Olympus FE-4000 and Sony A57, one is a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Olympus and Sony. There exists a huge gap among the sensor resolutions of the FE-4000 (12MP) and A57 (16MP) and the FE-4000 (1/2.3") and A57 (APS-C) feature totally different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The FE-4000 was announced 4 years prior to the A57 which is a fairly significant gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus FE-4000 being a Compact camera and the Sony A57 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before going straight into a complete comparison, below is a short overview of how the FE-4000 grades against the A57 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus FE-4000 and Sony SLT-A57. The whole galleries are viewable at Olympus FE-4000 Gallery and Sony A57 Gallery.

If you're aiming to carry around your camera often, you should think about its weight and size. The Olympus FE-4000 comes with 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) whilst the Sony A57 has specifications of 132mm x 98mm x 81mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.2") with a weight of 618 grams (1.36 lbs).

Look at the Olympus FE-4000 and Sony A57 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 select at that moment. Here is the front view dimension comparison of the FE-4000 against the A57.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the FE-4000 and A57 is 95 and 64 respectively.

Normally, it's difficult to envision the difference in sensor sizes just by looking through a spec sheet. The image here may give you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the FE-4000 and A57.

Clearly, both of the cameras offer different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The FE-4000 having a smaller sensor will make shooting shallow depth of field tougher and the Sony A57 will render extra detail with its extra 4MP. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop photos a little more aggressively. The more aged FE-4000 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor tech.