Olympus VG-160 vs Sony A300

Here is a detailed review of the Olympus VG-160 vs Sony A300, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by competitors Olympus and Sony. There is a big difference among the sensor resolutions of the VG-160 (14MP) and A300 (10MP) and the VG-160 (1/2.3") and A300 (APS-C) boast different sensor sizing.

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The VG-160 was brought out 4 years later than the A300 and that is a fairly big gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus VG-160 being a Compact camera and the Sony A300 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving straight to a full comparison, here is a short summation of how the VG-160 grades against the A300 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Below is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus VG-160 and Sony Alpha DSLR-A300. The entire galleries are available at Olympus VG-160 Gallery and Sony A300 Gallery.

For those who are going to carry your camera often, you are going to need to factor in its weight and size. The Olympus VG-160 offers outer dimensions of 96mm x 57mm x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") having a weight of 125 grams (0.28 lbs) and the Sony A300 has specifications of 131mm x 99mm x 75mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0") with a weight of 632 grams (1.39 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus VG-160 vs Sony A300 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you choose during that time. Here is a front view sizing comparison of the VG-160 compared to the A300.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability score of the VG-160 and A300 is 96 and 64 respectively.

In many cases, it's difficult to picture the contrast in sensor sizing merely by looking through specifications. The photograph underneath will help provide you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the VG-160 and A300.

To sum up, both of these cameras feature different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The VG-160 because of its smaller sensor is going to make achieving shallower DOF more challenging and the Olympus VG-160 will result in greater detail having its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will enable you to crop shots way more aggressively. The more recent VG-160 provides a benefit with regard to sensor technology.