Olympus VG-160 vs Sony a1

The following is a in-depth assessment of the Olympus VG-160 and Sony a1, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Pro Mirrorless by companies Olympus and Sony. There exists a sizable gap between the image resolutions of the VG-160 (14MP) and a1 (50MP) and the VG-160 (1/2.3") and a1 (Full frame) provide totally different sensor measurements.

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The VG-160 was unveiled 10 years prior to the a1 which is quite a significant difference as far as technology is concerned. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus VG-160 being a Compact camera and the Sony a1 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting right into a more detailed comparison, here is a quick introduction of how the VG-160 matches up against the a1 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

This is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus VG-160 & Sony Alpha a1. The full galleries are provided at Olympus VG-160 Gallery & Sony a1 Gallery.

If you are planning to travel with your camera frequently, you'll have to factor its weight and dimensions. The Olympus VG-160 has got exterior 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 a1 has dimensions of 129mm x 97mm x 70mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8") accompanied by a weight of 737 grams (1.62 lbs).

Examine the Olympus VG-160 and Sony a1 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you have at the time. Below is a front view dimension comparison of the VG-160 against the a1.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the VG-160 and a1 is 96 and 61 respectively.

Normally, it's hard to see the gap between sensor dimensions just by reading through technical specs. The pic below will help offer you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the VG-160 and a1.

As you have seen, both cameras have different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The VG-160 having a tinier sensor will make achieving shallower DOF harder and the Sony a1 will give you extra detail having an extra 36MP. Greater resolution will let you crop pics a bit more aggressively. The more aged VG-160 is going to be behind with regard to sensor innovation.