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Olympus VH-515 vs Sigma SD1

Portability
95
Imaging
35
Features
34
Overall
34
Olympus VH-515 front
 
Sigma SD1 front
Portability
77
Imaging
54
Features
43
Overall
49

Olympus VH-515 vs Sigma SD1 Key Specs

Olympus VH-515
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 1600
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 26-130mm (F2.8-6.5) lens
  • 152g - 102 x 60 x 21mm
  • Introduced August 2012
Sigma SD1
(Full Review)
  • 15MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 0 - 0
  • No Video
  • Sigma SA Mount
  • n/ag - 146 x 113 x 80mm
  • Released September 2010
  • New Model is Sigma SD1 Merrill
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Olympus VH-515 vs Sigma SD1 Overview

Lets examine more in depth at the Olympus VH-515 versus Sigma SD1, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Advanced DSLR by rivals Olympus and Sigma. The image resolution of the VH-515 (12MP) and the SD1 (15MP) is relatively comparable but the VH-515 (1/2.3") and SD1 (APS-C) possess different sensor size.

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The VH-515 was manufactured 24 months after the SD1 which makes the cameras a generation away from each other. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus VH-515 being a Compact camera and the Sigma SD1 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before going through a in-depth comparison, below is a short overview of how the VH-515 scores vs the SD1 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus VH-515 over the Sigma SD1

 VH-515 SD1 
ReleasedAugust 2012September 2010More modern by 24 months
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Sigma SD1 over the Olympus VH-515

 SD1 VH-515 
Manual focus Dial accurate focusing

Common features in the Olympus VH-515 and Sigma SD1

 VH-515 SD1 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen size
Screen resolution460k460kExact same screen resolution
Selfie screen Neither features selfie screen

Olympus VH-515 vs Sigma SD1 Physical Comparison

For those who are looking to carry around your camera, you should take into account its weight and volume. The Olympus VH-515 enjoys physical measurements of 102mm x 60mm x 21mm (4.0" x 2.4" x 0.8") having a weight of 152 grams (0.34 lbs) while the Sigma SD1 has sizing of 146mm x 113mm x 80mm (5.7" x 4.4" x 3.1") with a weight of n/a grams (0.00 lbs).

See the Olympus VH-515 versus Sigma SD1 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you are utilising during that time. Here is the front view dimension comparison of the VH-515 against the SD1.

Olympus VH-515 vs Sigma SD1 size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability rating of the VH-515 and SD1 is 95 and 77 respectively.

Olympus VH-515 vs Sigma SD1 top view buttons comparison

Olympus VH-515 vs Sigma SD1 Sensor Comparison

In many cases, its hard to picture the gap in sensor sizes merely by seeing technical specs. The picture here will offer you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the VH-515 and SD1.

As you have seen, each of these cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The VH-515 featuring a smaller sensor is going to make shooting shallower depth of field harder and the Sigma SD1 will show more detail due to its extra 3MP. Higher resolution can also let you crop photographs somewhat more aggressively. The newer VH-515 provides an advantage when it comes to sensor technology.

Olympus VH-515 vs Sigma SD1 sensor size comparison

Olympus VH-515 vs Sigma SD1 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus VH-515 vs Sigma SD1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus VH-515 Portrait photography highlights
Sigma SD1 Portrait photography highlights
26
provides face detection autofocus
focusing manually not possible
manual mode not available
cannot use external flash
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
64
you can focus manually
decent megapixels (15 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
no liveview feature
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus VH-515
Street photography with Sigma SD1
62
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
supports touch focus
fixed screen
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
62
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
environment sealing
screen does not articulate
does not have image stabilization
low maximum ISO (0)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus VH-515 as a Sports photography camera
Sigma SD1 as a Sports photography camera
31
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
provides tracking autofocus
continuous shooting slow (2.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority
low megapixels (12MP)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
has no phase detect autofocus
55
decent megapixels (15MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
environment sealing
sensor has phase detect auto focus
no liveview feature
slow frames per second (5.0 fps)
does not have image stabilization
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Travel Comparison

Olympus VH-515 Travel photography info
Sigma SD1 Travel photography info
62
supports touch focus
has built in flash
rather wide (26mm)
lack of Timelapse mode
low megapixels (12MP)
screen isn't selfie friendly
slow max aperture (f2.8)
65
environment sealing
decent megapixels (15 megapixels)
built-in flash
lack of Time Lapse recording
screen isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus VH-515
Landscape photography with Sigma SD1
37
rather wide (26mm)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
focusing manually not possible
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f2.8)
manual mode not available
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
lack of Timelapse mode
61
you can focus manually
change lenses (Sigma SA mount)
nice screen size (3 inches)
decent megapixels (15MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
environment sealing
no liveview feature
does not have image stabilization
low maximum ISO (0)
lack of Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus VH-515 Vlogging features
Sigma SD1 Vlogging features
35
rather wide (26mm)
has touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
provides face detection autofocus
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
slow max aperture (f2.8)
screen isn't selfie friendly
lack of external microphone port
9
no video recording
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Olympus VH-515 vs Sigma SD1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus VH-515 and Sigma SD1
 Olympus VH-515Sigma SD1
General Information
Make Olympus Sigma
Model Olympus VH-515 Sigma SD1
Category Small Sensor Compact Advanced DSLR
Introduced 2012-08-21 2010-09-21
Physical type Compact Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic III+ Dual True II
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CMOS (Foveon X3)
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 24 x 16mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 384.0mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 15MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 -
Max resolution 4608 x 3456 4800 x 3200
Max native ISO 1600 -
Minimum native ISO 100 -
RAW format
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points - 11
Cross focus points - 2
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens Sigma SA
Lens focal range 26-130mm (5.0x) -
Max aperture f/2.8-6.5 -
Macro focus range 5cm -
Total lenses - 76
Focal length multiplier 5.8 1.5
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen sizing 3 inches 3 inches
Screen resolution 460 thousand dots 460 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Screen technology TFT Color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage - 96%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.64x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 4 secs 15 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/2000 secs
Continuous shutter rate 2.0 frames/s 5.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 4.70 m -
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in -
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30,15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 180 (30,15 fps) -
Max video resolution 1920x1080 None
Video format MPEG-4, H.264 -
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 proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 152 grams (0.34 lb) -
Dimensions 102 x 60 x 21mm (4.0" x 2.4" x 0.8") 146 x 113 x 80mm (5.7" x 4.4" x 3.1")
DXO scores
DXO Overall 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 model LI-50B -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes
Time lapse shooting
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC Compact Flash (Type I, UDMA compatible)
Card slots One One
Launch pricing $648 $2,339