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Olympus VG-160 vs Sony HX20V

Portability
96
Imaging
38
Features
26
Overall
33
Olympus VG-160 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V front
Portability
90
Imaging
42
Features
50
Overall
45

Olympus VG-160 vs Sony HX20V Key Specs

Olympus VG-160
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 1600
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 26-130mm (F2.8-6.5) lens
  • 125g - 96 x 57 x 19mm
  • Revealed January 2012
Sony HX20V
(Full Review)
  • 18MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 12800
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-500mm (F3.2-5.8) lens
  • 254g - 107 x 62 x 35mm
  • Introduced July 2012
  • Old Model is Sony HX10V
  • New Model is Sony HX30V
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Olympus VG-160 vs Sony HX20V Overview

Here, we are evaluating the Olympus VG-160 vs Sony HX20V, one is a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. There exists a crucial gap between the resolutions of the VG-160 (14MP) and HX20V (18MP) but both cameras have the identical sensor dimensions (1/2.3").

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The VG-160 was released 6 months before the HX20V so they are of a similar generation. The two cameras feature the same body design (Compact).

Before diving straight to a thorough comparison, here is a brief summary of how the VG-160 grades versus the HX20V when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus VG-160 over the Sony HX20V

 VG-160 HX20V 

Reasons to pick Sony HX20V over the Olympus VG-160

 HX20V VG-160 
Manually focus More precise focusing
Display resolution922k230kCrisper display (+692k dot)

Common features in the Olympus VG-160 and Sony HX20V

 VG-160 HX20V 
IntroducedJanuary 2012July 2012Similar generation
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display size3"3"Same display sizing
Selfie screen Lack of selfie screen
Touch friendly display Neither comes with Touch friendly display

Olympus VG-160 vs Sony HX20V Physical Comparison

For anybody who is aiming to carry around your camera, you will have to factor in its weight and measurements. The Olympus VG-160 comes with exterior dimensions of 96mm x 57mm x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") having a weight of 125 grams (0.28 lbs) whilst the Sony HX20V has proportions of 107mm x 62mm x 35mm (4.2" x 2.4" x 1.4") with a weight of 254 grams (0.56 lbs).

Check the Olympus VG-160 vs Sony HX20V in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you have attached at the time. Underneath is a front view measurement comparison of the VG-160 against the HX20V.

Olympus VG-160 vs Sony HX20V size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the VG-160 and HX20V is 96 and 90 respectively.

Olympus VG-160 vs Sony HX20V top view buttons comparison

Olympus VG-160 vs Sony HX20V Sensor Comparison

Normally, it can be hard to see the gap between sensor sizes just by reading a spec sheet. The picture below will offer you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the VG-160 and HX20V.

Clearly, both of the cameras feature the identical sensor size but not the same resolution. You should expect to see the Sony HX20V to offer greater detail as a result of its extra 4MP. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop photos way more aggressively.

Olympus VG-160 vs Sony HX20V sensor size comparison

Olympus VG-160 vs Sony HX20V Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus VG-160 vs Sony HX20V Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus VG-160 Portrait photography advice
Sony HX20V Portrait photography advice
34
decent megapixels (14 megapixels)
has face detection autofocus
focusing manually not possible
no manual control
can't use external flash
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
45
has manual focus
megapixel count good (18MP)
supports face detection autofocus
no external flash support
small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus VG-160 Street photography highlights
Sony HX20V Street photography highlights
56
lighter than competition in class (125 grams)
screen is fixed
lack of image stabilization
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
61
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition (254 grams)
screen is fixed
small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus VG-160 Sports photography features
Sony HX20V Sports photography features
27
decent megapixels (14MP)
lack of shutter priority mode
lack of image stabilization
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
bad battery pack (165 per charge)
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
49
incredible zoom range (25-500mm 20.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count good (18 megapixels)
supports tracking autofocus
lack of shutter priority mode
small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus VG-160 as a Travel photography camera
Sony HX20V as a Travel photography camera
66
lighter than competition in class (125 grams)
decent megapixels (14MP)
has built in flash
pretty wide (26mm)
no Timelapse recording
bad battery pack (165 per charge)
screen is not selfie friendly
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
69
lighter than competition (254g)
megapixel count good (18MP)
built-in flash
relatively wide (25mm)
long zoom (500mm)
lack of Time Lapse mode
display isn't selfie friendly
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.2)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus VG-160 Landscape photography factors
Sony HX20V Landscape photography factors
37
pretty wide (26mm)
screen is a decent size (3 inch)
decent megapixels (14MP)
focusing manually not possible
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
no manual control
lack of image stabilization
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
bad battery pack (165 shots)
no Timelapse recording
50
has manual focus
relatively wide (25mm)
screen size is good (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count good (18 megapixels)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.2)
small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
lack of Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus VG-160 as a Vlogging camera
Sony HX20V as a Vlogging camera
30
pretty wide (26mm)
has face detection autofocus
lighter than competition in class (125 grams)
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
screen is not selfie friendly
lack of image stabilization
low video resolution (1280 x 720 pixels)
no external microphone support
34
relatively wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
supports face detection autofocus
high video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than competition (254 grams)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.2)
display isn't selfie friendly
lack of external mic socket
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Olympus VG-160 vs Sony HX20V Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus VG-160 and Sony HX20V
 Olympus VG-160Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V
General Information
Make Olympus Sony
Model Olympus VG-160 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V
Type Small Sensor Compact Small Sensor Superzoom
Revealed 2012-01-10 2012-07-20
Physical type Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Chip - BIONZ
Sensor type CCD BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 14MP 18MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4288 x 3216 4896 x 3672
Maximum native ISO 1600 12800
Lowest native ISO 80 100
RAW support
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Number of focus points - 9
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 26-130mm (5.0x) 25-500mm (20.0x)
Largest aperture f/2.8-6.5 f/3.2-5.8
Macro focus range 7cm 1cm
Focal length multiplier 5.8 5.8
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display sizing 3 inch 3 inch
Display resolution 230 thousand dots 922 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Display technology TFT Color LCD XtraFine TruBlack TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 4s 30s
Highest shutter speed 1/2000s 1/1600s
Continuous shooting rate - 10.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 4.80 m 7.10 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30,15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 180 (30,15 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video data format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 125g (0.28 lbs) 254g (0.56 lbs)
Physical dimensions 96 x 57 x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") 107 x 62 x 35mm (4.2" x 2.4" x 1.4")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 165 photos 320 photos
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model LI-70B NP-BG1
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2)
Time lapse feature
Storage type SD/SDHC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo
Card slots 1 1
Retail cost $90 $397