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Olympus FE-45 vs Sony A500

Portability
95
Imaging
33
Features
14
Overall
25
Olympus FE-45 front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 front
Portability
63
Imaging
52
Features
52
Overall
52

Olympus FE-45 vs Sony A500 Key Specs

Olympus FE-45
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Display
  • ISO 64 - 1600
  • Digital Image Stabilization
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 36-108mm (F3.1-5.9) lens
  • 142g - 94 x 62 x 23mm
  • Released January 2009
Sony A500
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 200 - 12800
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 630g - 137 x 104 x 84mm
  • Released August 2009
  • New Model is Sony A560
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Olympus FE-45 vs Sony A500 Overview

Following is a detailed assessment of the Olympus FE-45 vs Sony A500, one is a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Olympus and Sony. The resolution of the FE-45 (10MP) and the A500 (12MP) is very well matched but the FE-45 (1/2.3") and A500 (APS-C) provide different sensor sizing.

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The FE-45 was manufactured 7 months prior to the A500 so they are of a similar generation. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus FE-45 being a Compact camera and the Sony A500 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before we go into a complete comparison, here is a concise overview of how the FE-45 grades against the A500 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus FE-45 over the Sony A500

 FE-45 A500 

Reasons to pick Sony A500 over the Olympus FE-45

 A500 FE-45 
ReleasedAugust 2009January 2009More modern by 7 months
Manual focus Very exact focusing
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display dimensions3"2.5"Larger display (+0.5")

Common features in the Olympus FE-45 and Sony A500

 FE-45 A500 
Display resolution230k230kThe same display resolution
Selfie screen Neither provides selfie screen
Touch friendly display Neither provides Touch friendly display

Olympus FE-45 vs Sony A500 Physical Comparison

If you're going to carry around your camera often, you will need to factor in its weight and measurements. The Olympus FE-45 provides exterior measurements of 94mm x 62mm x 23mm (3.7" x 2.4" x 0.9") and a weight of 142 grams (0.31 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).

Check the Olympus FE-45 vs Sony A500 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you have chosen during that time. Underneath is a front view dimension comparison of the FE-45 vs the A500.

Olympus FE-45 vs Sony A500 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability score of the FE-45 and A500 is 95 and 63 respectively.

Olympus FE-45 vs Sony A500 top view buttons comparison

Olympus FE-45 vs Sony A500 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it is tough to imagine the difference between sensor sizes just by reading through a spec sheet. The picture below might give you a greater sense of the sensor measurements in the FE-45 and A500.

Clearly, both cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The FE-45 because of its tinier sensor is going to make shooting shallow depth of field more difficult and the Sony A500 will give you greater detail due to its extra 2MP. Greater resolution will also make it easier to crop pics more aggressively. The more aged FE-45 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor technology.

Olympus FE-45 vs Sony A500 sensor size comparison

Olympus FE-45 vs Sony A500 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus FE-45 vs Sony A500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus FE-45 as a Portrait photography camera
Sony A500 as a Portrait photography camera
19
no manual focus
manual mode not available
can't use external flash
low megapixels (10MP)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
63
manual focus
sensor size is good (APS-C)
provides face detect focusing
saves RAW files
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
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Street Comparison

Olympus FE-45 Street photography features
Sony A500 Street photography features
56
built in image stabilization (Digital)
screen is fixed
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
74
tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
saves RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Olympus FE-45 Sports photography highlights
Sony A500 Sports photography highlights
26
built in image stabilization (Digital)
lack of shutter priority mode
low megapixels (10MP)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect autofocus
51
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
has phase detect AF
slow fps (5.0 frames per second)
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
terrible battery (520 per charge)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus FE-45 Travel photography highlights
Sony A500 Travel photography highlights
51
flash built-in
does not have Time Lapse mode
low megapixels (10 megapixels)
doesn't contain selfie friendly display
wide angle not the best (36mm)
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
43
has built in flash
no Time Lapse recording
terrible battery (520 per charge)
resolution not great (12MP)
display isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus FE-45 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony A500 as a Landscape photography camera
27
built in image stabilization (Digital)
no manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not the best (36mm)
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
screen is somewhat small (2.5 inches)
manual mode not available
low megapixels (10MP)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
does not have Time Lapse mode
60
manual focus
switch lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
saves RAW files
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
terrible battery (520 shots)
no Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus FE-45 Vlogging features
Sony A500 Vlogging features
25
built in image stabilization (Digital)
wide angle not the best (36mm)
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
doesn't contain selfie friendly display
video res low (640 x 480 resolution)
does not have mic jack
9
can't shoot video
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Olympus FE-45 vs Sony A500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus FE-45 and Sony A500
 Olympus FE-45Sony Alpha DSLR-A500
General Information
Company Olympus Sony
Model Olympus FE-45 Sony Alpha DSLR-A500
Type Small Sensor Compact Entry-Level DSLR
Released 2009-01-07 2009-08-27
Physical type Compact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Chip - Bionz
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor dimensions 6.08 x 4.56mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 27.7mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 10 megapixel 12 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 16:9, 4:3 and 3:2 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 3648 x 2736 4272 x 2848
Max native ISO 1600 12800
Lowest native ISO 64 200
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Number of focus points - 9
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens focal range 36-108mm (3.0x) -
Maximum aperture f/3.1-5.9 -
Macro focus distance 5cm -
Total lenses - 143
Focal length multiplier 5.9 1.5
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Tilting
Display sizing 2.5 inches 3 inches
Display resolution 230 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder coverage - 95%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.53x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 4s 30s
Maximum shutter speed 1/2000s 1/4000s
Continuous shooting rate - 5.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range - 12.00 m
Flash options Auto, Fill-in, Red-Eye reduction, Off, On Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize - 1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps) -
Max video resolution 640x480 None
Video data format Motion JPEG -
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 142g (0.31 lbs) 630g (1.39 lbs)
Physical dimensions 94 x 62 x 23mm (3.7" x 2.4" x 0.9") 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested 64
DXO Color Depth score not tested 21.8
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 11.6
DXO Low light score not tested 772
Other
Battery life - 520 pictures
Style of battery - Battery Pack
Battery model - NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes (12 seconds) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage type xD-Picture Card, microSD, internal SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots Single Single
Retail pricing $130 $638