Olympus FE-45 vs Sony A77: A Practical Deep Dive from a Seasoned Camera Tester

In the ever-evolving world of cameras, sometimes the choice is between two completely different beasts. Today, I’m pitting the humble, pocket-friendly Olympus FE-45 against the much beefier, feature-packed Sony A77 DSLR. These cameras couldn’t be more different, yet both hold appeal for distinctly different photography enthusiasts and pros. If you’re contemplating a camera purchase and stumbled on this ancient showdown, you’re in the right place.

Throughout my 15+ years testing cameras from tiny compacts to full-frame heavyweights, I’ve learned the secret sauce is understanding real-world performance - not just specs on paper. I’ll break down ergonomics, sensor tech, autofocus, shooting versatility, and user experience with an eye firmly on what matters day to day, whether you dabble in portraits, landscapes, sports, or travel snapshots.

Ready? Let’s jump in, starting from the very first thing you’ll notice.

Handling and Body Design: Pocket-Sized Compact Meets Mid-Size DSLR

What happens when you put a chewable gumstick next to a club for your thumb? That’s what we’re dealing with here in physical terms.

Olympus FE-45 is a tiny, ultra-compact camera weighing only 142 grams and measuring 94x62x23 mm. It slips effortlessly into a jeans pocket or a small purse. Great for photographers who want that grab-and-go flexibility without lugging bags. Nothing fancy - just a simple fixed lens and minimal buttons to fuss with.

In contrast, the Sony A77 is a full-on advanced DSLR with a robust magnesium alloy frame weighing 732 grams and substantial heft at 143x104x81 mm (hint: it feels like it means business). This camera practically hugs your hands with a pronounced grip and ergonomics designed for extended shooting sessions and quick access to controls.

From a photographer’s perspective, each has its place.

• Olympus FE-45: Ideal for snapshots, casual strolls, travel photography where size and weight are paramount.
• Sony A77: Designed for deliberate shooting in the field, be it sports, wildlife, or professional studio sessions where comfort and control matter.

Ergonomics tally up with the Sony’s fully articulated 3-inch, 921k-dot screen and multiple customizable buttons. The Olympus offers a fixed 2.5-inch, 230k-dot screen, which feels cramped and behind the times by today’s standards.

The Olympus’s minimalist top plate is straightforward but limited - no mode dials, no manual controls. Meanwhile, the Sony’s top screen and dials provide instant info and quick mode changes, essential for pros or serious hobbyists.

Sensor and Image Quality: A Clear Divide

At the heart of any camera is its sensor. The Olympus FE-45 sports a 1/2.3” CCD sensor measuring 6.08 x 4.56 mm with 10 megapixels. It’s fine for casual, everyday photos but suffers from the limitations typical of small sensors: restricted dynamic range, increased noise at higher ISOs, and limited low light performance.

The Sony A77 flaunts an APS-C size CMOS sensor (23.5 x 15.6 mm) with 24 megapixels, leveraging the advanced Bionz processor. This sensor size is more than 11x larger, yielding far superior image quality, greater detail, and better control over depth of field (critical for portraits and landscapes).

In my lab and field testing, the Sony’s sensor delivered spectacular dynamic range (~13.2 stops measured under DXOMark), vibrant color depth (24 bits), and retained sharpness at ISO 1600 and beyond. Low light shots were much cleaner with minimal grain, which the Olympus simply can't touch.

Meanwhile, the Olympus maxes out at ISO 1600 with noticeable noise creeping in even at base ISO 64 - typical for its era and sensor size. The inclusion of an antialiasing filter helps to soften moiré but at the expense of ultimate sharpness.

Autofocus Systems: From Point-and-Shoot to Lightning Fast Action

In the autofocus battle, the Olympus FE-45 relies exclusively on contrast-detection AF with just a single focus mode: single AF with center-weighted metering. No face detection, no tracking, no continuous AF. It’s strictly point-and-shoot style focusing.

Conversely, the Sony A77 incorporates a hybrid phase-detection AF system with 19 focus points, 11 of which are cross-type sensors. It offers multiple AF modes like single, continuous, multi-area selection, face detection, and selective AF (which lets you pick points even mid-shoot). The autofocus hunts less and locks focus sharply and fast, even in challenging focal lengths or dim lighting.

From shooting wildlife flitting through a forest or sports events bursting with motion to portraits demanding tack-sharp eyes, the Sony is built to follow action and deliver results on demand.

Portrait Photography: Where Bokeh and Skin Tone Nuance Matter

Capturing gorgeous portraits requires more than just megapixels. You want smooth skin tones, accurate color rendering, and importantly, shallow depth of field for creamy bokeh that isolates your subject.

The Sony A77’s APS-C sensor combined with a good fast lens delivers classic portrait fingerprints - rich tonality and subject separation. Face detection AF and manual focus override give you fine control over focusing on the eyes, and the electronic viewfinder (EVF) reveals real-time exposure and focus previews. You can shoot at wide apertures for that beautiful background blur.

The Olympus FE-45’s tiny zoom lens max aperture at f/3.1–5.9 is less capable in this style. The smaller sensor inherently increases depth of field, which means everything tends to be in focus, thwarting creative bokeh attempts.

If dreamy portraits and skin tone fidelity are your heart’s desire, the Sony is the clear winner.

Landscape Photography: Dynamic Range and Resolution's Reign

Landscape photographers revel in wide dynamic range to capture shadows and highlights in equal measure. They also appreciate higher resolution for cropping and printing fine details.

The Sony A77 boasts a robust 24MP sensor and nearly 13 stops of dynamic range, letting you pull out subtle shadow detail and preserve highlight nuance in skyscapes without nasty clipping. The APS-C sensor also takes advantage of a broader lens ecosystem with excellent wide-angle options.

Its weather sealing adds protection against dust and moisture, critical for shooting outdoors in all conditions. The Olympus lacks any environmental sealing - so cautious packing on damp days is a must.

The Olympus’s modest 10MP and 1/2.3-inch sensor provide adequate landscape snaps for social media or small prints but will struggle in scenes with strong contrast or subdued lighting conditions.

Wildlife and Sports: Autofocus and Burst Rate in Play

For fast-moving subjects, autofocus and frame rates are king. The Sony A77 shoots at an impressive 12 frames per second - a boon for catching fleeting expressions or wing beats. Its robust phase-detect AF with multiple cross-type points locks focus quickly and remains stable during continuous tracking. Its burst buffer can manage these big RAW files without breaking a sweat.

The Olympus has no continuous shooting mode and a max shutter speed of 1/2000s. Its AF is limited to single-shot contrast detection, unsuitable for wildlife or sports where tracking is essential.

In real-world use with birds, children, or sports, the Sony A77 hands down makes for less missed shots and higher keeper rates.

Street Photography and Travel: Size and Stealth Matter

Here’s where the Olympus FE-45 checks a big box for cheapskates, travelers, or street photographers looking to stay low-profile. It’s discrete, inconspicuous, and quick to pull out for snapshots without intimidating subjects. The small size also means less fatigue over days of walking.

The Sony A77’s large body and lens system are more cumbersome, making it less ideal for sneaking candid shots or zipping through crowded streets. That said, when paired with compact primes or pancake lenses, it can still serve dedicated enthusiasts.

Battery life also favors the Sony strongly - rated at 470 shots per charge compared to unknown stats for Olympus’s internal battery. The Sony’s additional GPS and wireless connectivity help when on the move and managing geo-tagged images or tethering.

Macro, Night, and Astro Photography: Precision and High ISO

The Olympus has a respectable macro focus range as close as 5cm. But with just digital stabilization and limited ISO, detailed close-ups require perfect lighting. Night photography is tricky due to limited shutter speeds (max 1/4 sec for long exposures), low ISO ceiling, and no raw support for maximizing dynamic range.

The Sony A77 performs well here, with native ISO up to 16,000 and expanded to 25,600, sensor-based stabilization, and manual shutter control down to 30 seconds that is perfect for astrophotography. Raw capture enables heavy editing post-shoot.

Video Capabilities: A Clear Contrast

Video shooters will quickly notice the difference. The Olympus offers VGA resolution (640 x 480) at 30fps in Motion JPEG - more of a “video snapshot” feature than serious videography.

The Sony steps it up to full HD 1080p at 60fps, 24fps, and 30fps and supports AVCHD and MPEG-4 formats. Plus, a dedicated microphone input means better audio capture, a necessity for owners shooting interviews or events.

Lens Ecosystem and Expandability

The Olympus FE-45 is a fixed-lens compact. You’re locked into its 36-108mm equivalent zoom range with no option to change lenses. For casual everyday use, this is simple - but a huge limitation for those wanting versatility.

Sony’s A77 mounts the Sony Alpha/Minolta A mount, enjoying access to a whopping 143 lenses including excellent primes, fast telephotos, and specialty optics for macro, tilt-shift, and more. This opens the door for serious photographers looking to refine their toolkit.

Connectivity and Storage

The Sony A77 edges out with built-in GPS, Eye-Fi wireless card compatibility (for Wi-Fi transfers), and HDMI clean output.

The Olympus is content with USB 2.0 transfer and unique support for xD-Picture Cards and microSD cards, reflecting the era’s transitional storage standards. Lacking wireless, HDMI, or GPS makes modern workflows less fluid.

Price and Who Each Camera Suits

The Olympus FE-45, at $129, is an ultra-affordable, straightforward camera for absolute beginners, casual users who prioritize simplicity, or those wanting a super-lightweight spare. It’s definitely "point and shoot," with no pretenses.

The Sony A77, priced around $899 at launch, serves advanced enthusiasts and professionals who demand robust features, manual control, superior image quality, and future-proofing via lens choice and connectivity.

Summary of Strengths and Weaknesses

Olympus FE 45 front Olympus FE 45 screen back Sony A77 front Sony A77 screen back

Seeing is believing, and when lining up images from both cameras, the Sony delivers vastly more detail, sharper renditions, and dynamic color balance.

These charts distill the performance advantages into genre-specific scores. The Sony dominates in nearly every area except portability and ease-of-use.

Final Verdict – Who Should Buy Which?

If you’re looking for a small, affordable, easy-to-use travel companion or a camera for casual everyday pictures, the Olympus FE-45 can squeeze out decent images without confusion or fuss. Its limitations mean it won’t satisfy those wanting creative control or higher image quality, but it’s a solid entry-level pocket shooter.

On the other hand, if you’re a photography enthusiast seeking excellent image quality, versatile performance across portraits, landscapes, wildlife, and sports, who is comfortable investing in lenses and accessories, the Sony A77 is a powerhouse. It’s built to handle demanding professional and hobbyist needs, balancing speed, quality, and control with respectable portability for a DSLR.

Practical Takeaway

• Budget-conscious beginner? Grab the Olympus FE-45 and enjoy uncomplicated shooting.
• Serious hobbyist or pro on a budget? The Sony A77 delivers DSLR-level quality and features without breaking the bank.
• Want broad use from portraits to wildlife? Sony wins.
• Need a tiny point-and-shoot for street or travel? Olympus fits like a glove.

Photography is about capturing moments your way. Sometimes a simple camera lets you concentrate on composition and fun. Other times, a robust tool lets you bring your visionary images to life with precision and power. I’ve shot with both extensively, and I can confidently say these cameras serve different creative purposes: neither better nor worse - just different tools in the artist’s kit.

Whichever you choose, shoot lots, experiment often, and keep your eye curious. Happy clicking!