Olympus VG-120 vs Sony RX100 III

Below, we are reviewing the Olympus VG-120 and Sony RX100 III, former being a Ultracompact while the other is a Large Sensor Compact by brands Olympus and Sony. There is a sizable difference among the sensor resolutions of the VG-120 (14MP) and RX100 III (20MP) and the VG-120 (1/2.3") and RX100 III (1") come with different sensor size.

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The VG-120 was announced 4 years earlier than the RX100 III and that is a fairly significant difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus VG-120 being a Ultracompact camera and the Sony RX100 III being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before diving in to a thorough comparison, below is a quick summary of how the VG-120 scores versus the RX100 III in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus VG-120 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 III. The whole galleries are viewable at Olympus VG-120 Gallery & Sony RX100 III Gallery.

In case you're going to carry your camera, you'll need to take into account its weight and proportions. The Olympus VG-120 offers external dimensions of 96mm x 57mm x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") accompanied by a weight of 120 grams (0.26 lbs) while the Sony RX100 III has measurements of 102mm x 58mm x 41mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.6") and a weight of 290 grams (0.64 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus VG-120 and Sony RX100 III in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you are employing at that time. The following is the front view physical size comparison of the VG-120 and the RX100 III.

Looking at size and weight, the portability rating of the VG-120 and RX100 III is 96 and 89 respectively.

Oftentimes, it's difficult to picture the contrast in sensor sizing only by researching specs. The visual underneath will give you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the VG-120 and RX100 III.

As you can plainly see, each of the cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The VG-120 using its smaller sensor is going to make achieving shallower depth of field more challenging and the Sony RX100 III will render greater detail with its extra 6MP. Greater resolution will also allow you to crop pics somewhat more aggressively. The older VG-120 will be disadvantaged in sensor tech.