Olympus VG-120 vs Sigma SD1 Merrill

On this page, we will be looking at the Olympus VG-120 vs Sigma SD1 Merrill, former being a Ultracompact while the latter is a Advanced DSLR by manufacturers Olympus and Sigma. The resolution of the VG-120 (14MP) and the SD1 Merrill (15MP) is relatively comparable but the VG-120 (1/2.3") and SD1 Merrill (APS-C) have totally different sensor measurements.

Photography Glossary

The VG-120 was revealed 15 months before the SD1 Merrill which makes them a generation apart from one another. Both the cameras have different body design with the Olympus VG-120 being a Ultracompact camera and the Sigma SD1 Merrill being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before getting straight to a step-by-step comparison, here is a brief highlight of how the VG-120 matches up against the SD1 Merrill when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

This is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus VG-120 & Sigma SD1 Merrill. The full galleries are available at Olympus VG-120 Gallery & Sigma SD1 Merrill Gallery.

For those who are aiming to carry your camera frequently, you will have to factor its weight and measurements. The Olympus VG-120 has outer dimensions of 96mm x 57mm x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") having a weight of 120 grams (0.26 lbs) and the Sigma SD1 Merrill has proportions of 146mm x 113mm x 80mm (5.7" x 4.4" x 3.1") with a weight of 790 grams (1.74 lbs).

Look at the Olympus VG-120 vs Sigma SD1 Merrill in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you choose at that moment. Underneath is a front view dimension comparison of the VG-120 compared to the SD1 Merrill.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the VG-120 and SD1 Merrill is 96 and 57 respectively.

Normally, it can be difficult to see the gap in sensor sizing merely by going through a spec sheet. The photograph here should provide you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the VG-120 and SD1 Merrill.

As you can see, both of the cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The VG-120 having a smaller sensor will make achieving shallow depth of field trickier and the Sigma SD1 Merrill will provide greater detail because of its extra 1 Megapixels. Higher resolution will enable you to crop photographs a bit more aggressively. The older VG-120 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor tech.