Olympus VG-160 vs Sony a5000

On this page, we are reviewing the Olympus VG-160 and Sony a5000, one is a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. There exists a sizeable gap between the image resolutions of the VG-160 (14MP) and a5000 (20MP) and the VG-160 (1/2.3") and a5000 (APS-C) boast different sensor sizes.

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The VG-160 was manufactured 24 months before the a5000 making them a generation away from one another. The two cameras have different body design with the Olympus VG-160 being a Compact camera and the Sony a5000 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before going right into a more detailed comparison, here is a quick introduction of how the VG-160 matches up vs the a5000 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus VG-160 and Sony Alpha a5000. The entire galleries are viewable at Olympus VG-160 Gallery and Sony a5000 Gallery.

In case you're intending to carry around your camera frequently, you will have to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Olympus VG-160 comes with outside dimensions of 96mm x 57mm x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") and a weight of 125 grams (0.28 lbs) whilst the Sony a5000 has dimensions of 110mm x 63mm x 36mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.4") having a weight of 269 grams (0.59 lbs).

Check the Olympus VG-160 and Sony a5000 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you are employing at the time. Here is a front view dimensions comparison of the VG-160 versus the a5000.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the VG-160 and a5000 is 96 and 89 respectively.

Normally, it's hard to imagine the gap between sensor sizes only by going over technical specs. The image here should provide you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the VG-160 and a5000.

As you have seen, the 2 cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The VG-160 featuring a tinier sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF more difficult and the Sony a5000 will deliver extra detail due to its extra 6MP. Greater resolution can also let you crop images more aggressively. The more aged VG-160 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.