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Olympus VG-145 vs Sony A500

Portability
96
Imaging
37
Features
24
Overall
31
Olympus VG-145 front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 front
Portability
63
Imaging
52
Features
52
Overall
52

Olympus VG-145 vs Sony A500 Key Specs

Olympus VG-145
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 1600
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 26-130mm (F2.8-6.5) lens
  • 120g - 96 x 57 x 19mm
  • Revealed July 2011
Sony A500
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 200 - 12800
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 630g - 137 x 104 x 84mm
  • Released August 2009
  • New Model is Sony A560
Photography Glossary

Olympus VG-145 vs Sony A500 Overview

Below is a extended comparison of the Olympus VG-145 vs Sony A500, former being a Ultracompact while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. The resolution of the VG-145 (14MP) and the A500 (12MP) is relatively well matched but the VG-145 (1/2.3") and A500 (APS-C) provide totally different sensor sizing.

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The VG-145 was manufactured 24 months later than the A500 which makes them a generation apart from one another. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus VG-145 being a Ultracompact camera and the Sony A500 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before getting straight to a full comparison, here is a short summation of how the VG-145 grades vs the A500 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus VG-145 over the Sony A500

 VG-145 A500 
ReleasedJuly 2011August 2009More recent by 24 months

Reasons to pick Sony A500 over the Olympus VG-145

 A500 VG-145 
Manual focus Very precise focusing
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen

Common features in the Olympus VG-145 and Sony A500

 VG-145 A500 
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen measurement
Screen resolution230k230kThe same screen resolution
Selfie screen No selfie screen
Touch screen Neither offers Touch screen

Olympus VG-145 vs Sony A500 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is planning to lug around your camera, you need to factor in its weight and proportions. The Olympus VG-145 offers outer measurements of 96mm x 57mm x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") accompanied by a weight of 120 grams (0.26 lbs) and the Sony A500 has measurements of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") along with a weight of 630 grams (1.39 lbs).

See the Olympus VG-145 vs Sony A500 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you are utilising during that time. Underneath is a front view size comparison of the VG-145 versus the A500.

Olympus VG-145 vs Sony A500 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the VG-145 and A500 is 96 and 63 respectively.

Olympus VG-145 vs Sony A500 top view buttons comparison

Olympus VG-145 vs Sony A500 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it can be hard to envision the gap between sensor measurements merely by looking at specifications. The photograph below should offer you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the VG-145 and A500.

Plainly, both of those cameras have different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The VG-145 featuring a tinier sensor will make achieving shallower depth of field more difficult and the Olympus VG-145 will give more detail due to its extra 2MP. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop photographs a bit more aggressively. The more recent VG-145 will have an advantage with regard to sensor tech.

Olympus VG-145 vs Sony A500 sensor size comparison

Olympus VG-145 vs Sony A500 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus VG-145 vs Sony A500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus VG-145
Portrait photography with Sony A500
33
decent megapixels (14MP)
includes face detect autofocus
focusing manually not possible
manual mode not available
external flash not possible
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
63
manual focus
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
comes with face detection autofocus
supports RAW files
MP count low (12 megapixels)
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Street Comparison

Olympus VG-145 Street photography details
Sony A500 Street photography details
48
screen does not articulate
does not have image stabilization
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
74
screen tilts up and down
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
supports RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Olympus VG-145 Sports photography information
Sony A500 Sports photography information
26
decent megapixels (14MP)
no shutter priority mode
does not have image stabilization
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
low battery (160 per charge)
lacks phase detect autofocus
51
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
sensor has phase detect autofocus
very slow continuous shooting (5.0 frames per second)
MP count low (12 megapixels)
terrible battery pack (520 CIPA)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus VG-145 as a Travel photography camera
Sony A500 as a Travel photography camera
62
decent megapixels (14MP)
has built in flash
rather wide (26mm)
no Timelapse recording
low battery (160 per charge)
screen is not selfie friendly
slow max aperture (f2.8)
43
built-in flash
doesn't have Timelapse recording
terrible battery pack (520 CIPA)
MP count low (12 megapixels)
does not contain selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus VG-145
Landscape photography with Sony A500
36
rather wide (26mm)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
decent megapixels (14MP)
focusing manually not possible
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f2.8)
manual mode not available
does not have image stabilization
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
low battery (160 shots)
no Timelapse recording
60
manual focus
switch lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
pretty good screen size (3")
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
supports RAW files
MP count low (12MP)
terrible battery pack (520 shots)
doesn't have Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus VG-145 as a Vlogging camera
Sony A500 as a Vlogging camera
28
rather wide (26mm)
includes face detect autofocus
slow max aperture (f2.8)
screen is not selfie friendly
does not have image stabilization
low res video (1280 x 720 resolution)
no microphone jack
9
no video recording
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Olympus VG-145 vs Sony A500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus VG-145 and Sony A500
 Olympus VG-145Sony Alpha DSLR-A500
General Information
Brand Olympus Sony
Model Olympus VG-145 Sony Alpha DSLR-A500
Type Ultracompact Entry-Level DSLR
Revealed 2011-07-27 2009-08-27
Body design Ultracompact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic III Bionz
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 14 megapixels 12 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 4288 x 3216 4272 x 2848
Maximum native ISO 1600 12800
Minimum native ISO 80 200
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Number of focus points - 9
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens focal range 26-130mm (5.0x) -
Maximum aperture f/2.8-6.5 -
Macro focus range 1cm -
Amount of lenses - 143
Crop factor 5.8 1.5
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Tilting
Display sizing 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 230 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Display tech TFT Color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder coverage - 95%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.53x
Features
Min shutter speed 4 secs 30 secs
Max shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shutter speed - 5.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 4.40 m 12.00 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Max flash sync - 1/160 secs
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30, 15fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15fps) -
Maximum video resolution 1280x720 None
Video data format Motion JPEG -
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 120g (0.26 lbs) 630g (1.39 lbs)
Physical dimensions 96 x 57 x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested 64
DXO Color Depth score not tested 21.8
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 11.6
DXO Low light score not tested 772
Other
Battery life 160 pictures 520 pictures
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model LI-70B NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage media SD/SDHC SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots 1 1
Pricing at release $0 $638