Olympus VG-120 vs Sony NEX-6

Below, we are evaluating the Olympus VG-120 versus Sony NEX-6, former being a Ultracompact while the other is a Advanced Mirrorless by companies Olympus and Sony. The image resolution of the VG-120 (14MP) and the NEX-6 (16MP) is fairly comparable but the VG-120 (1/2.3") and NEX-6 (APS-C) come with totally different sensor sizing.

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The VG-120 was announced 3 years prior to the NEX-6 and that is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus VG-120 being a Ultracompact camera and the Sony NEX-6 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving straight into a more detailed comparison, below is a simple highlight of how the VG-120 matches up vs the NEX-6 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus VG-120 & Sony Alpha NEX-6. The whole galleries are available at Olympus VG-120 Gallery & Sony NEX-6 Gallery.

For anybody who is planning to lug around your camera often, you'll have to think about its weight and dimensions. The Olympus VG-120 comes with exterior dimensions of 96mm x 57mm x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") and a weight of 120 grams (0.26 lbs) while the Sony NEX-6 has dimensions of 120mm x 67mm x 43mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 1.7") with a weight of 345 grams (0.76 lbs).

Check the Olympus VG-120 versus Sony NEX-6 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you use at that moment. The following is the front view dimensions comparison of the VG-120 vs the NEX-6.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the VG-120 and NEX-6 is 96 and 85 respectively.

Normally, it is very hard to envision the difference in sensor measurements merely by going through a spec sheet. The visual below should give you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the VG-120 and NEX-6.

Clearly, the 2 cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The VG-120 using its smaller sensor will make getting shallow DOF trickier and the Sony NEX-6 will provide more detail with its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will help you crop photos much more aggressively. The older VG-120 will be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.