Olympus 5010 vs Sony A77

Here, we are evaluating the Olympus 5010 and Sony A77, one is a Ultracompact and the other is a Advanced DSLR by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. There is a significant difference between the resolutions of the 5010 (14MP) and A77 (24MP) and the 5010 (1/2.3") and A77 (APS-C) posses totally different sensor size.

Photography Glossary

The 5010 was unveiled 21 months before the A77 making them a generation away from each other. Both cameras feature different body design with the Olympus 5010 being a Ultracompact camera and the Sony A77 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before we go straight to a in depth comparison, here is a simple summary of how the 5010 scores against the A77 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Following is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus Stylus 5010 and Sony SLT-A77. The full galleries are provided at Olympus 5010 Gallery and Sony A77 Gallery.

When you are going to carry around your camera regularly, you should factor its weight and dimensions. The Olympus 5010 has outside dimensions of 95mm x 56mm x 20mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.8") accompanied by a weight of 126 grams (0.28 lbs) and the Sony A77 has dimensions of 143mm x 104mm x 81mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.2") accompanied by a weight of 732 grams (1.61 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus 5010 and Sony A77 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you are using during that time. Following is a front view physical size comparison of the 5010 and the A77.

Using size and weight, the portability grade of the 5010 and A77 is 96 and 59 respectively.

Generally, it can be hard to envision the contrast between sensor sizes just by looking at specs. The image underneath will provide you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the 5010 and A77.

All in all, both of these cameras feature different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The 5010 using its tinier sensor will make shooting shallow DOF more challenging and the Sony A77 will give greater detail having an extra 10 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also let you crop photos way more aggressively. The more aged 5010 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor innovation.