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Olympus FE-5020 vs Sony A500

Portability
95
Imaging
35
Features
20
Overall
29
Olympus FE-5020 front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 front
Portability
63
Imaging
52
Features
52
Overall
52

Olympus FE-5020 vs Sony A500 Key Specs

Olympus FE-5020
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 64 - 1600
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 24-120mm (F3.3-5.8) lens
  • 137g - 93 x 56 x 25mm
  • Revealed July 2009
  • Other Name is X-935
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
  • Announced August 2009
  • Refreshed by Sony A560
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Olympus FE-5020 vs Sony A500 Overview

Here, we are comparing the Olympus FE-5020 vs Sony A500, one is a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. The image resolution of the FE-5020 (12MP) and the A500 (12MP) is very comparable but the FE-5020 (1/2.3") and A500 (APS-C) have different sensor sizing.

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The FE-5020 was launched within a month of the A500 so they are of a similar generation. The two cameras feature different body design with the Olympus FE-5020 being a Compact camera and the Sony A500 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before getting straight to a complete comparison, here is a simple highlight of how the FE-5020 scores vs the A500 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus FE-5020 over the Sony A500

 FE-5020 A500 

Reasons to pick Sony A500 over the Olympus FE-5020

 A500 FE-5020 
Focus manually Dial exact focusing
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display size3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")

Common features in the Olympus FE-5020 and Sony A500

 FE-5020 A500 
AnnouncedJuly 2009August 2009Same generation
Display resolution230k230kExact same display resolution
Selfie screen Lack of selfie screen
Touch friendly display Neither has Touch friendly display

Olympus FE-5020 vs Sony A500 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is looking to travel with your camera, you will want to take into account its weight and proportions. The Olympus FE-5020 has outer dimensions of 93mm x 56mm x 25mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 1.0") and a weight of 137 grams (0.30 lbs) while the Sony A500 has measurements of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") having a weight of 630 grams (1.39 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus FE-5020 vs Sony A500 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you have chosen at that time. Below is a front view size comparison of the FE-5020 vs the A500.

Olympus FE-5020 vs Sony A500 size comparison

Considering size and weight, the portability rating of the FE-5020 and A500 is 95 and 63 respectively.

Olympus FE-5020 vs Sony A500 top view buttons comparison

Olympus FE-5020 vs Sony A500 Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, it can be difficult to visualize the gap in sensor dimensions only by checking out a spec sheet. The image underneath may offer you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the FE-5020 and A500.

As you can see, each of these cameras feature the identical resolution but different sensor dimensions. The FE-5020 includes the smaller sensor which should make getting shallower depth of field more difficult.

Olympus FE-5020 vs Sony A500 sensor size comparison

Olympus FE-5020 vs Sony A500 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus FE-5020 vs Sony A500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus FE-5020 Portrait photography info
Sony A500 Portrait photography info
21
lack of manual focus
manual exposure not possible
can't use external flash
sensor resolution low (12MP)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW format
63
focusing manually
decent sensor size (APS-C)
offers face detect focusing
delivers RAW files
low MP (12 megapixels)
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Street Comparison

Olympus FE-5020 Street photography details
Sony A500 Street photography details
60
environment proofing
lighter than others in class (137 grams)
no articulating screen
lack of image stabilization
small sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW format
74
tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus FE-5020
Sports photography with Sony A500
24
environment proofing
max shutter speed is low (1/500 seconds)
no shutter priority mode
lack of image stabilization
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
no phase detect autofocus
51
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
sensor has phase detect AF
slow frames per second (5.0 fps)
low MP (12 megapixels)
terrible battery life (520 shots)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus FE-5020 as a Travel photography camera
Sony A500 as a Travel photography camera
65
lighter than others in class (137g)
environment proofing
built-in flash
pretty wide (24mm)
missing Timelapse function
sensor resolution low (12MP)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.3)
43
flash built-in
missing Time Lapse mode
terrible battery life (520 CIPA)
low MP (12 megapixels)
display isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus FE-5020 Landscape photography highlights
Sony A500 Landscape photography highlights
31
pretty wide (24mm)
environment proofing
lack of manual focus
cannot swap lenses (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.3)
screen is small (2.7")
manual exposure not possible
lack of image stabilization
sensor resolution low (12MP)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW format
missing Timelapse function
60
focusing manually
switch lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
low MP (12 megapixels)
terrible battery life (520 per charge)
missing Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus FE-5020 Vlogging details
Sony A500 Vlogging details
28
pretty wide (24mm)
lighter than others in class (137g)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.3)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
lack of image stabilization
video resolution low (640 x 480 resolution)
missing external microphone jack
9
no video shooting
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Olympus FE-5020 vs Sony A500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus FE-5020 and Sony A500
 Olympus FE-5020Sony Alpha DSLR-A500
General Information
Brand Olympus Sony
Model Olympus FE-5020 Sony Alpha DSLR-A500
Otherwise known as X-935 -
Category Small Sensor Compact Entry-Level DSLR
Revealed 2009-07-22 2009-08-27
Physical type Compact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic III Bionz
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 12MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 3968 x 2976 4272 x 2848
Highest native ISO 1600 12800
Lowest native ISO 64 200
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Number of focus points - 9
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens focal range 24-120mm (5.0x) -
Largest aperture f/3.3-5.8 -
Macro focus range 1cm -
Available lenses - 143
Crop factor 5.8 1.5
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Tilting
Display diagonal 2.7 inches 3 inches
Display resolution 230k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder coverage - 95 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.53x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 4 secs 30 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/500 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shutter rate - 5.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 4.10 m 12.00 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Fill-in Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize - 1/160 secs
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps) -
Highest video resolution 640x480 None
Video file format Motion JPEG -
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 137 gr (0.30 lb) 630 gr (1.39 lb)
Physical dimensions 93 x 56 x 25mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 1.0") 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall 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 photos
Form of battery - Battery Pack
Battery model LI-42B NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes (12 seconds) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage type xD-Picture Card, microSD SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots Single Single
Cost at release $160 $638