Olympus VG-160 vs Sony A55

Let's look a little more closely at the Olympus VG-160 versus Sony A55, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by competitors Olympus and Sony. The resolution of the VG-160 (14MP) and the A55 (16MP) is very similar but the VG-160 (1/2.3") and A55 (APS-C) provide different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The VG-160 was launched 17 months later than the A55 making them a generation apart from each other. Both of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus VG-160 being a Compact camera and the Sony A55 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving straight to a in-depth comparison, here is a quick synopsis of how the VG-160 grades against the A55 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Here is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus VG-160 & Sony SLT-A55. The complete galleries are viewable at Olympus VG-160 Gallery & Sony A55 Gallery.

For anybody who is going to carry your camera regularly, you need to factor its weight and dimensions. The Olympus VG-160 provides external 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 A55 has dimensions of 124mm x 92mm x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3") having a weight of 500 grams (1.10 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus VG-160 versus Sony A55 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you are utilising at the time. Below is a front view proportions comparison of the VG-160 vs the A55.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability grade of the VG-160 and A55 is 96 and 67 respectively.

Often, its difficult to visualize the contrast between sensor sizing simply by reviewing technical specs. The graphic below should give you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the VG-160 and A55.

As you have seen, both of these cameras come with different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The VG-160 featuring a tinier sensor is going to make getting bokeh harder and the Sony A55 will offer more detail utilizing its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop images a good deal more aggressively. The fresher VG-160 should have an edge in sensor tech.