Olympus VG-160 vs Sony A380

Below is a in-depth assessment of the Olympus VG-160 and Sony A380, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Olympus and Sony. The image resolution of the VG-160 (14MP) and the A380 (14MP) is fairly close but the VG-160 (1/2.3") and A380 (APS-C) offer totally different sensor measurements.

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The VG-160 was manufactured 2 years later than the A380 and that is a fairly big 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 Sony A380 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving right into a in depth comparison, here is a brief summary of how the VG-160 scores against the A380 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus VG-160 and Sony Alpha DSLR-A380. The entire galleries are available at Olympus VG-160 Gallery and Sony A380 Gallery.

When you are planning to lug around your camera, you'll need to think about its weight and measurements. The Olympus VG-160 has got outside dimensions of 96mm x 57mm x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") accompanied by a weight of 125 grams (0.28 lbs) while the Sony A380 has proportions of 128mm x 97mm x 71mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.8") along with a weight of 519 grams (1.14 lbs).

See the Olympus VG-160 and Sony A380 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you are utilizing at that moment. The following is a front view dimensions comparison of the VG-160 against the A380.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the VG-160 and A380 is 96 and 68 respectively.

Sometimes, it's hard to envision the difference in sensor measurements simply by researching technical specs. The graphic below should offer you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the VG-160 and A380.

As you have seen, both of the cameras feature the identical megapixel count but not the same sensor measurements. The VG-160 uses the smaller sensor which is going to make obtaining shallower depth of field trickier. The more recent VG-160 is going to have a benefit in sensor tech.