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Olympus VH-515 vs Sony A9

Portability
95
Imaging
36
Features
34
Overall
35
Olympus VH-515 front
 
Sony Alpha A9 front
Portability
65
Imaging
73
Features
93
Overall
81

Olympus VH-515 vs Sony A9 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
  • Announced August 2012
Sony A9
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 51200 (Raise to 204800)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 673g - 127 x 96 x 63mm
  • Launched April 2017
  • Replacement is Sony A9 II
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Olympus VH-515 vs Sony A9 Overview

Lets look a bit more closely at the Olympus VH-515 and Sony A9, one is a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Pro Mirrorless by companies Olympus and Sony. There exists a big gap between the image resolutions of the VH-515 (12MP) and A9 (24MP) and the VH-515 (1/2.3") and A9 (Full frame) have totally different sensor dimensions.

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The VH-515 was announced 5 years before the A9 which is quite a big gap as far as technology is concerned. Both cameras feature different body design with the Olympus VH-515 being a Compact camera and the Sony A9 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before delving straight to a step-by-step comparison, here is a brief summary of how the VH-515 grades vs the A9 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus VH-515 over the Sony A9

 VH-515 A9 

Reasons to pick Sony A9 over the Olympus VH-515

 A9 VH-515 
LaunchedApril 2017August 2012Newer by 56 months
Manual focus More exact focus
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution1440k460kCrisper screen (+980k dot)

Common features in the Olympus VH-515 and Sony A9

 VH-515 A9 
Screen size3"3"Same screen sizing
Selfie screen Neither contains selfie screen
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Olympus VH-515 vs Sony A9 Physical Comparison

If you're looking to travel with your camera frequently, you need to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Olympus VH-515 has got external measurements of 102mm x 60mm x 21mm (4.0" x 2.4" x 0.8") accompanied by a weight of 152 grams (0.34 lbs) whilst the Sony A9 has dimensions of 127mm x 96mm x 63mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.5") and a weight of 673 grams (1.48 lbs).

Check out the Olympus VH-515 and Sony A9 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you are employing at the time. Here is a front view measurement comparison of the VH-515 compared to the A9.

Olympus VH-515 vs Sony A9 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the VH-515 and A9 is 95 and 65 respectively.

Olympus VH-515 vs Sony A9 top view buttons comparison

Olympus VH-515 vs Sony A9 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it is very tough to visualise the contrast between sensor dimensions simply by checking technical specs. The picture below might offer you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the VH-515 and A9.

As you can tell, both of those cameras feature different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The VH-515 with its tinier sensor will make getting shallow depth of field harder and the Sony A9 will resolve greater detail with its extra 12 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also help you crop photographs way more aggressively. The more aged VH-515 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus VH-515 vs Sony A9 sensor size comparison

Olympus VH-515 vs Sony A9 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus VH-515 vs Sony A9 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus VH-515 Portrait photography highlights
Sony A9 Portrait photography highlights
27
provides face detection focus
focusing manually not possible
no manual control
can't use external flash
MP count low (12MP)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
83
you can focus manually
decent MP (24MP)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
includes face detection focusing
exports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus VH-515 Street photography info
Sony A9 Street photography info
62
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
offers touch to focus
fixed screen
small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
79
screen tilts
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
exports RAW formats
features focus via touch
environment proof
above average ISO range (51,200)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus VH-515 Sports photography factors
Sony A9 Sports photography factors
32
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
provides tracking autofocus
max frames per second very slow (2.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority mode
MP count low (12MP)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no phase detect auto focus
86
great max shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
silent shooting (1/32,000 seconds)
high max frames per second (20.0 fps)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent MP (24 megapixels)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
includes tracking autofocus
environment proof
better than average battery power (650 shots)
supports phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus VH-515
Travel photography with Sony A9
62
offers touch to focus
flash built-in
relatively wide (26mm)
no Timelapse function
MP count low (12 megapixels)
does not have selfie friendly display
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
73
better than average battery power (650 per charge)
environment proof
has bluetooth
features focus via touch
decent MP (24MP)
screen is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus VH-515 Landscape photography advice
Sony A9 Landscape photography advice
37
relatively wide (26mm)
screen size is good (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
focusing manually not possible
cannot change lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
no manual control
MP count low (12MP)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
no Timelapse function
85
you can focus manually
change lenses (Sony E mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent MP (24MP)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
above average ISO range (51,200)
exports RAW formats
environment proof
better than average battery power (650 CIPA)
two card slots
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus VH-515 Vlogging factors
Sony A9 Vlogging factors
35
relatively wide (26mm)
touchscreen capability
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
provides face detection focus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
does not have selfie friendly display
no external microphone port
36
touchscreen functionality
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
includes face detection focusing
great video quality (3840 x 2160 pixels)
comes with external mic socket
screen is not selfie friendly
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Olympus VH-515 vs Sony A9 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus VH-515 and Sony A9
 Olympus VH-515Sony Alpha A9
General Information
Company Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus VH-515 Sony Alpha A9
Type Small Sensor Compact Pro Mirrorless
Announced 2012-08-21 2017-04-19
Physical type Compact SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic III+ BIONZ X
Sensor type BSI-CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" Full frame
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 35.6 x 23.8mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 847.3mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 24 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4608 x 3456 6000 x 4000
Maximum native ISO 1600 51200
Maximum boosted ISO - 204800
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW pictures
Lowest boosted ISO - 50
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Total focus points - 693
Lens
Lens support fixed lens Sony E
Lens zoom range 26-130mm (5.0x) -
Maximum aperture f/2.8-6.5 -
Macro focusing range 5cm -
Number of lenses - 121
Focal length multiplier 5.8 1
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Tilting
Screen size 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 460 thousand dots 1,440 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Screen technology TFT Color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 3,686 thousand dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.78x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 4 seconds 30 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/8000 seconds
Highest silent shutter speed - 1/32000 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 2.0fps 20.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 4.70 m no built-in flash
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in Flash off, Autoflash, Fill-flash, Slow Sync., Rear Sync., Red-eye reduction, Wireless, Hi-speed sync
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
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) -
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 3840x2160
Video format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected Built-In
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) 673 gr (1.48 pounds)
Physical dimensions 102 x 60 x 21mm (4.0" x 2.4" x 0.8") 127 x 96 x 63mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.5")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested 92
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 24.9
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 13.3
DXO Low light rating not tested 3517
Other
Battery life - 650 shots
Battery type - Battery Pack
Battery ID LI-50B NP-FZ100
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2, 5, 10 secs + continuous)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC slots (UHS-II compatible)
Card slots Single Dual
Launch cost $648 $4,498