Olympus 5010 vs Sony A500

The following is a complete overview of the Olympus 5010 and Sony A500, one is a Ultracompact and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by competitors Olympus and Sony. The resolution of the 5010 (14MP) and the A500 (12MP) is very close but the 5010 (1/2.3") and A500 (APS-C) come with different sensor measurements.

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The 5010 was launched 5 months after the A500 which means that they are of a similar generation. Both the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus 5010 being a Ultracompact camera and the Sony A500 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before going in to a step-by-step comparison, below is a quick overview of how the 5010 scores against the A500 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

The following is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus Stylus 5010 and Sony Alpha DSLR-A500. The complete galleries are viewable at Olympus 5010 Gallery and Sony A500 Gallery.

If you are looking to travel with your camera often, you have to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Olympus 5010 has got physical dimensions of 95mm x 56mm x 20mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.8") with a weight of 126 grams (0.28 lbs) while the Sony A500 has dimensions of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") accompanied by a weight of 630 grams (1.39 lbs).

Compare the Olympus 5010 and Sony A500 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you choose at that moment. Underneath is the front view measurements comparison of the 5010 compared to the A500.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the 5010 and A500 is 96 and 63 respectively.

Often, its difficult to picture the contrast in sensor dimensions purely by researching technical specs. The picture here may give you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the 5010 and A500.

As you have seen, each of the cameras offer different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The 5010 due to its smaller sensor is going to make getting shallower depth of field harder and the Olympus 5010 will result in greater detail utilizing its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also allow you to crop photos a little more aggressively.