Olympus VG-160 vs Panasonic S5

Lets take a closer look at the Olympus VG-160 vs Panasonic S5, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Pro Mirrorless by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a sizeable gap among the resolutions of the VG-160 (14MP) and S5 (24MP) and the VG-160 (1/2.3") and S5 (Full frame) offer different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The VG-160 was revealed 9 years before the S5 and that is a fairly large gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus VG-160 being a Compact camera and the Panasonic S5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting into a more detailed comparison, here is a short introduction of how the VG-160 matches up versus the S5 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus VG-160 and Panasonic Lumix DC-S5. The full galleries are available at Olympus VG-160 Gallery and Panasonic S5 Gallery.

For anybody who is aiming to lug around your camera regularly, you'll have to think about its weight and proportions. The Olympus VG-160 features exterior measurements of 96mm x 57mm x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") accompanied by a weight of 125 grams (0.28 lbs) and the Panasonic S5 has measurements of 133mm x 97mm x 82mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 3.2") having a weight of 714 grams (1.57 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus VG-160 vs Panasonic S5 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you are utilising at that moment. Below is a front view proportions comparison of the VG-160 compared to the S5.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the VG-160 and S5 is 96 and 60 respectively.

More often than not, it is tough to visualize the gap in sensor measurements just by viewing a spec sheet. The graphic here may give you a clearer sense of the sensor measurements in the VG-160 and S5.

Clearly, each of the cameras come with different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The VG-160 having a smaller sensor is going to make getting shallower DOF more challenging and the Panasonic S5 will result in more detail because of its extra 10 Megapixels. Higher resolution will let you crop pictures a good deal more aggressively. The older VG-160 will be behind when it comes to sensor tech.