Olympus VG-160 vs Sony A57

Let's look more closely at the Olympus VG-160 vs Sony A57, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by competitors Olympus and Sony. The image resolution of the VG-160 (14MP) and the A57 (16MP) is very similar but the VG-160 (1/2.3") and A57 (APS-C) offer totally different sensor dimensions.

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The VG-160 was brought out 8 months before the A57 and they are both of a similar generation. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus VG-160 being a Compact camera and the Sony A57 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before going right into a comprehensive comparison, here is a short summary of how the VG-160 matches up versus the A57 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus VG-160 and Sony SLT-A57. The entire galleries are available at Olympus VG-160 Gallery and Sony A57 Gallery.

When you are looking to lug around your camera often, you'll need to factor its weight and size. The Olympus VG-160 comes with external measurements of 96mm x 57mm x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") and a weight of 125 grams (0.28 lbs) while the Sony A57 has specifications of 132mm x 98mm x 81mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.2") having a weight of 618 grams (1.36 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus VG-160 vs Sony A57 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you are employing at the time. Here is a front view scale comparison of the VG-160 versus the A57.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability score of the VG-160 and A57 is 96 and 64 respectively.

Oftentimes, it can be tough to envision the contrast between sensor measurements only by going over specs. The photograph below may give you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the VG-160 and A57.

As you can plainly see, each of these cameras have different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The VG-160 due to its tinier sensor will make getting shallow depth of field more challenging and the Sony A57 will deliver extra detail having its extra 2MP. Greater resolution will help you crop photos a bit more aggressively. The older VG-160 is going to be behind with regard to sensor technology.