Olympus VG-160 vs Sony A580

Let's look closer at the Olympus VG-160 vs Sony A580, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Olympus and Sony. The resolution of the VG-160 (14MP) and the A580 (16MP) is very similar but the VG-160 (1/2.3") and A580 (APS-C) enjoy totally different sensor sizes.

Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

The VG-160 was released 8 months later than the A580 which means that they are both of a similar generation. Both of the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus VG-160 being a Compact camera and the Sony A580 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving through a step-by-step comparison, below is a simple introduction of how the VG-160 scores against the A580 for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus VG-160 and Sony Alpha DSLR-A580. The complete galleries are provided at Olympus VG-160 Gallery and Sony A580 Gallery.

For those who are going to lug around your camera often, you are going to need to factor its weight and proportions. The Olympus VG-160 provides outside dimensions of 96mm x 57mm x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") with a weight of 125 grams (0.28 lbs) whilst the Sony A580 has measurements of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") having a weight of 599 grams (1.32 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus VG-160 vs Sony A580 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you are working with at that moment. Underneath is the front view overall size comparison of the VG-160 against the A580.

Looking at size and weight, the portability grade of the VG-160 and A580 is 96 and 64 respectively.

In many cases, it is hard to visualise the gap between sensor measurements only by going over specs. The graphic here might provide you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the VG-160 and A580.

As you can plainly see, the 2 cameras offer different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The VG-160 featuring a tinier sensor will make achieving shallower depth of field tougher and the Sony A580 will offer more detail as a result of its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also allow you to crop pics a little more aggressively. The younger VG-160 is going to have a benefit with regard to sensor innovation.