Olympus 8000 vs Sony A57

Below is a thorough review of the Olympus 8000 versus Sony A57, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Olympus and Sony. There exists a sizeable gap among the image resolutions of the 8000 (12MP) and A57 (16MP) and the 8000 (1/2.3") and A57 (APS-C) posses totally different sensor size.

Photography Glossary

The 8000 was introduced 4 years earlier than the A57 and that is a fairly large gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both cameras have different body design with the Olympus 8000 being a Compact camera and the Sony A57 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before delving into a in-depth comparison, here is a simple synopsis of how the 8000 scores versus the A57 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus Stylus Tough 8000 and Sony SLT-A57. The whole galleries are available at Olympus 8000 Gallery and Sony A57 Gallery.

When you are looking to lug around your camera frequently, you are going to need to think about its weight and proportions. The Olympus 8000 features physical dimensions of 95mm x 62mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.4" x 0.9") with a weight of 182 grams (0.40 lbs) while the Sony A57 has measurements of 132mm x 98mm x 81mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.2") having a weight of 618 grams (1.36 lbs).

Compare the Olympus 8000 versus Sony A57 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you use during that time. The following is a front view sizing comparison of the 8000 against the A57.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the 8000 and A57 is 94 and 64 respectively.

Quite often, it is hard to see the contrast in sensor measurements only by checking out specifications. The photograph here might give you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the 8000 and A57.

Plainly, the two cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The 8000 with its smaller sensor will make shooting bokeh trickier and the Sony A57 will produce extra detail using its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop pictures more aggressively. The older 8000 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.