Olympus 6000 vs Sony A580

Below is a complete analysis of the Olympus 6000 vs Sony A580, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Olympus and Sony. There is a big difference between the sensor resolutions of the 6000 (10MP) and A580 (16MP) and the 6000 (1/2.3") and A580 (APS-C) have different sensor sizes.

Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

The 6000 was announced 23 months earlier than the A580 which makes them a generation apart from each other. Both the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus 6000 being a Compact camera and the Sony A580 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before we go straight to a thorough comparison, here is a simple introduction of how the 6000 scores versus the A580 for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus Stylus Tough 6000 and Sony Alpha DSLR-A580. The whole galleries are available at Olympus 6000 Gallery and Sony A580 Gallery.

If you are looking to lug around your camera frequently, you will want to consider its weight and measurements. The Olympus 6000 comes with physical measurements of 95mm x 63mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.5" x 0.9") accompanied by a weight of 179 grams (0.39 lbs) and the Sony A580 has proportions of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") and a weight of 599 grams (1.32 lbs).

Compare the Olympus 6000 vs Sony A580 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you use at the time. Underneath is a front view scale comparison of the 6000 against the A580.

Using size and weight, the portability score of the 6000 and A580 is 94 and 64 respectively.

Generally, it can be difficult to picture the difference between sensor measurements merely by reading a spec sheet. The photograph below will offer you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the 6000 and A580.

As you can see, each of these cameras come with different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The 6000 having a tinier sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field more difficult and the Sony A580 will deliver extra detail with its extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop photographs a good deal more aggressively. The older 6000 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.