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Olympus VG-160 vs Sony A37

Portability
96
Imaging
37
Features
26
Overall
32
Olympus VG-160 front
 
Sony SLT-A37 front
Portability
67
Imaging
57
Features
65
Overall
60

Olympus VG-160 vs Sony A37 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
  • Announced January 2012
Sony A37
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 2.6" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 506g - 124 x 92 x 85mm
  • Revealed May 2012
  • Superseded the Sony A35
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Olympus VG-160 vs Sony A37 Overview

Let's look more closely at the Olympus VG-160 vs Sony A37, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by rivals Olympus and Sony. The resolution of the VG-160 (14MP) and the A37 (16MP) is very well matched but the VG-160 (1/2.3") and A37 (APS-C) posses totally different sensor sizes.

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The VG-160 was unveiled 4 months prior to the A37 and they are of a similar age. Each of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus VG-160 being a Compact camera and the Sony A37 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving straight to a in-depth comparison, here is a concise summary of how the VG-160 scores vs the A37 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus VG-160 over the Sony A37

 VG-160 A37 
Display size3"2.6"Larger display (+0.4")

Reasons to pick Sony A37 over the Olympus VG-160

 A37 VG-160 
Focus manually More accurate focus
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display

Common features in the Olympus VG-160 and Sony A37

 VG-160 A37 
RevealedJanuary 2012May 2012Similar age
Display resolution230k230kIdentical display resolution
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen
Touch friendly display Neither offers Touch friendly display

Olympus VG-160 vs Sony A37 Physical Comparison

For those who are intending to travel with your camera often, you need to think about its weight and proportions. The Olympus VG-160 offers outer measurements of 96mm x 57mm x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") with a weight of 125 grams (0.28 lbs) and the Sony A37 has measurements of 124mm x 92mm x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3") with a weight of 506 grams (1.12 lbs).

Check the Olympus VG-160 vs Sony A37 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you have attached during that time. Following is a front view over all size comparison of the VG-160 compared to the A37.

Olympus VG-160 vs Sony A37 size comparison

Using size and weight, the portability rating of the VG-160 and A37 is 96 and 67 respectively.

Olympus VG-160 vs Sony A37 top view buttons comparison

Olympus VG-160 vs Sony A37 Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, its tough to envision the difference between sensor dimensions just by checking a spec sheet. The picture below will provide you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the VG-160 and A37.

Clearly, both of those cameras feature different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The VG-160 having a tinier sensor will make achieving shallow DOF tougher and the Sony A37 will give greater detail having an extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also allow you to crop pics way more aggressively.

Olympus VG-160 vs Sony A37 sensor size comparison

Olympus VG-160 vs Sony A37 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus VG-160 vs Sony A37 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus VG-160 as a Portrait photography camera
Sony A37 as a Portrait photography camera
33
decent MP (14 megapixels)
supports face detection focus
lack of manual focus
manual exposure not available
external flash not possible
very small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW files
74
has manual focus
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
comes with face detect focusing
exports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus VG-160
Street photography with Sony A37
56
lighter than competition (125g)
screen is fixed
does not have image stabilization
very small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW files
77
screen tilts up and down
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
exports RAW files
very good ISO range (25,600)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus VG-160 as a Sports photography camera
Sony A37 as a Sports photography camera
26
decent MP (14MP)
lack of shutter priority mode
does not have image stabilization
very small sensor (1/2.3")
low battery power (165 CIPA)
no phase detect auto focus
61
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (16MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
sensor has phase detect AF
max frames per second very slow (6.0 frames per second)
bad battery power (500 shots)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus VG-160 Travel photography information
Sony A37 Travel photography information
65
lighter than competition (125g)
decent MP (14 megapixels)
has built in flash
reasonably wide (26mm)
no Timelapse mode
low battery power (165 CIPA)
screen is not selfie friendly
slow max aperture (f2.8)
54
resolution is good (16MP)
has built in flash
missing Timelapse mode
bad battery power (500 shots)
display isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus VG-160 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony A37 as a Landscape photography camera
36
reasonably wide (26mm)
decent sized screen (3")
decent MP (14 megapixels)
lack of manual focus
can't change lenses (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f2.8)
manual exposure not available
does not have image stabilization
very small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW files
low battery power (165 per charge)
no Timelapse mode
64
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (16MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
very good ISO range (25,600)
exports RAW files
screen is small (2.6")
bad battery power (500 per charge)
missing Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus VG-160 Vlogging details
Sony A37 Vlogging details
30
reasonably wide (26mm)
supports face detection focus
lighter than competition (125g)
slow max aperture (f2.8)
screen is not selfie friendly
does not have image stabilization
low quality video (1280 x 720 resolution)
no external microphone socket
35
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
comes with face detect focusing
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
includes microphone port
display isn't selfie friendly
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Olympus VG-160 vs Sony A37 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus VG-160 and Sony A37
 Olympus VG-160Sony SLT-A37
General Information
Make Olympus Sony
Model Olympus VG-160 Sony SLT-A37
Type Small Sensor Compact Entry-Level DSLR
Announced 2012-01-10 2012-05-16
Body design Compact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 14 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4288 x 3216 4912 x 3264
Max native ISO 1600 25600
Min native ISO 80 100
RAW support
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Number of focus points - 15
Cross focus points - 3
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens focal range 26-130mm (5.0x) -
Highest aperture f/2.8-6.5 -
Macro focus range 7cm -
Available lenses - 143
Focal length multiplier 5.8 1.5
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Tilting
Display size 3 inch 2.6 inch
Resolution of display 230k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Display tech TFT Color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,440k dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.73x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 4s 30s
Highest shutter speed 1/2000s 1/4000s
Continuous shooting speed - 6.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 4.80 m 12.00 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Highest flash sync - 1/160s
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, 29.97 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 640 x 424 (29.97 fps)
Max video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 125 grams (0.28 lb) 506 grams (1.12 lb)
Physical dimensions 96 x 57 x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") 124 x 92 x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested 75
DXO Color Depth score not tested 23.3
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 12.9
DXO Low light score not tested 799
Other
Battery life 165 photos 500 photos
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model LI-70B NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10 sec 3 or 5 images)
Time lapse recording
Storage media SD/SDHC SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots Single Single
Retail price $90 $522