Olympus VG-120 vs Sony A100

In this write-up, we will be comparing the Olympus VG-120 and Sony A100, one is a Ultracompact and the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Olympus and Sony. There is a significant difference between the image resolutions of the VG-120 (14MP) and A100 (10MP) and the VG-120 (1/2.3") and A100 (APS-C) come with different sensor size.

Photography Glossary

The VG-120 was launched 4 years after the A100 which is quite a sizable gap as far as tech is concerned. Both the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus VG-120 being a Ultracompact camera and the Sony A100 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before getting straight into a thorough comparison, below is a quick introduction of how the VG-120 scores versus the A100 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Below is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus VG-120 and Sony Alpha DSLR-A100. The complete galleries are available at Olympus VG-120 Gallery and Sony A100 Gallery.

For anybody who is intending to carry around your camera regularly, you will want to factor its weight and measurements. The Olympus VG-120 provides exterior measurements of 96mm x 57mm x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") with a weight of 120 grams (0.26 lbs) and the Sony A100 has proportions of 133mm x 95mm x 71mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 2.8") having a weight of 638 grams (1.41 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus VG-120 and Sony A100 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you choose at that time. Following is the front view dimension comparison of the VG-120 against the A100.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the VG-120 and A100 is 96 and 64 respectively.

Oftentimes, it is very difficult to visualize the contrast between sensor sizes just by checking specs. The pic underneath should provide you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the VG-120 and A100.

As you can plainly see, both the cameras enjoy different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The VG-120 because of its tinier sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field trickier and the Olympus VG-120 will give you more detail utilizing its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop pictures far more aggressively. The more modern VG-120 provides an advantage with regard to sensor tech.