Clicky

Olympus VH-410 vs Sony A500

Portability
95
Imaging
39
Features
34
Overall
37
Olympus VH-410 front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 front
Portability
63
Imaging
52
Features
52
Overall
52

Olympus VH-410 vs Sony A500 Key Specs

Olympus VH-410
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 1600
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 26-130mm (F2.8-6.5) lens
  • 152g - 102 x 60 x 21mm
  • Introduced August 2012
Sony A500
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 200 - 12800
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 630g - 137 x 104 x 84mm
  • Revealed August 2009
  • New Model is Sony A560
Photography Glossary

Olympus VH-410 vs Sony A500 Overview

Let's look a bit more closely at the Olympus VH-410 versus Sony A500, one is a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by brands Olympus and Sony. There exists a huge gap between the resolutions of the VH-410 (16MP) and A500 (12MP) and the VH-410 (1/2.3") and A500 (APS-C) offer totally different sensor measurements.

Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

The VH-410 was unveiled 3 years after the A500 which is quite a significant gap as far as technology is concerned. Both cameras have different body design with the Olympus VH-410 being a Compact camera and the Sony A500 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving straight to a full comparison, here is a concise summation of how the VH-410 grades against the A500 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus VH-410 over the Sony A500

 VH-410 A500 
RevealedAugust 2012August 2009More modern by 37 months
Screen resolution460k230kClearer screen (+230k dot)
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Sony A500 over the Olympus VH-410

 A500 VH-410 
Manually focus Dial accurate focus
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen

Common features in the Olympus VH-410 and Sony A500

 VH-410 A500 
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen measurements
Selfie screen Lack of selfie screen

Olympus VH-410 vs Sony A500 Physical Comparison

When you are going to carry around your camera regularly, you'll need to factor in its weight and measurements. The Olympus VH-410 offers physical dimensions of 102mm x 60mm x 21mm (4.0" x 2.4" x 0.8") accompanied by a weight of 152 grams (0.34 lbs) while the Sony A500 has proportions of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") accompanied by a weight of 630 grams (1.39 lbs).

Examine the Olympus VH-410 versus Sony A500 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you are using at that time. Following is a front view physical size comparison of the VH-410 vs the A500.

Olympus VH-410 vs Sony A500 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the VH-410 and A500 is 95 and 63 respectively.

Olympus VH-410 vs Sony A500 top view buttons comparison

Olympus VH-410 vs Sony A500 Sensor Comparison

Typically, its tough to see the contrast between sensor sizes purely by reading technical specs. The picture underneath might offer you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the VH-410 and A500.

As you have seen, each of these cameras have different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The VH-410 using its tinier sensor will make achieving bokeh more challenging and the Olympus VH-410 will offer you extra detail having an extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop shots a bit more aggressively. The younger VH-410 is going to have an edge in sensor technology.

Olympus VH-410 vs Sony A500 sensor size comparison

Olympus VH-410 vs Sony A500 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus VH-410 vs Sony A500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus VH-410
Portrait photography with Sony A500
34
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
provides face detect focus
manual focus not available
no manual control
can't use external flash
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
63
has manual focus
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
comes with face detect focusing
supports RAW formats
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

Street Comparison

Olympus VH-410 Street photography features
Sony A500 Street photography features
63
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
comes with focus via touch
no moving screen
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
74
has a tilting screen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Sports Comparison

Olympus VH-410 as a Sports photography camera
Sony A500 as a Sports photography camera
40
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
provides tracking focus
low fps (2.0 fps)
lack of shutter priority mode
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect auto focus
51
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
comes with phase detect AF
continuous shooting slow (5.0 frames/s)
sensor resolution low (12MP)
not so great battery pack (520 shots)
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Travel Comparison

Olympus VH-410 as a Travel photography camera
Sony A500 as a Travel photography camera
68
comes with focus via touch
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
pretty wide (26mm)
no Time Lapse mode
screen is not selfie friendly
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
43
has built in flash
doesn't have Time Lapse function
not so great battery pack (520 CIPA)
sensor resolution low (12MP)
display is not selfie friendly
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus VH-410
Landscape photography with Sony A500
43
pretty wide (26mm)
screen is a decent size (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
manual focus not available
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
no manual control
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
no Time Lapse mode
60
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
good sized screen (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
sensor resolution low (12MP)
not so great battery pack (520 CIPA)
doesn't have Time Lapse function
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus VH-410 Vlogging details
Sony A500 Vlogging details
32
pretty wide (26mm)
touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
provides face detect focus
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
screen is not selfie friendly
low quality video (1280 x 720 pixels)
no mic jack
9
no video
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

Olympus VH-410 vs Sony A500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus VH-410 and Sony A500
 Olympus VH-410Sony Alpha DSLR-A500
General Information
Brand Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus VH-410 Sony Alpha DSLR-A500
Class Small Sensor Compact Entry-Level DSLR
Introduced 2012-08-21 2009-08-27
Physical type Compact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic III+ Bionz
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 12 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4608 x 3456 4272 x 2848
Highest native ISO 1600 12800
Minimum native ISO 100 200
RAW format
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Total focus points - 9
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens zoom range 26-130mm (5.0x) -
Max aperture f/2.8-6.5 -
Macro focusing distance 5cm -
Available lenses - 143
Focal length multiplier 5.8 1.5
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Tilting
Display size 3 inches 3 inches
Display resolution 460 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Display technology TFT Color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder coverage - 95%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.53x
Features
Min shutter speed 4s 30s
Max shutter speed 1/2000s 1/4000s
Continuous shutter rate 2.0 frames per second 5.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 4.70 m 12.00 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Max flash synchronize - 1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30,15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 180 (30,15 fps) -
Highest video resolution 1280x720 None
Video data format Motion JPEG -
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 152 gr (0.34 pounds) 630 gr (1.39 pounds)
Physical dimensions 102 x 60 x 21mm (4.0" x 2.4" x 0.8") 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested 64
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 21.8
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 11.6
DXO Low light rating not tested 772
Other
Battery life - 520 images
Style of battery - Battery Pack
Battery ID LI-50B NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots 1 1
Pricing at release $186 $638