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Olympus VH-515 vs Sony A99 II

Portability
95
Imaging
36
Features
34
Overall
35
Olympus VH-515 front
 
Sony Alpha A99 II front
Portability
57
Imaging
77
Features
92
Overall
83

Olympus VH-515 vs Sony A99 II 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
  • Launched August 2012
Sony A99 II
(Full Review)
  • 42MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600 (Boost to 102400)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 849g - 143 x 104 x 76mm
  • Announced September 2016
  • Superseded the Sony A99
Photography Glossary

Olympus VH-515 vs Sony A99 II Overview

Here is a complete assessment of the Olympus VH-515 vs Sony A99 II, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Advanced DSLR by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. There exists a large gap between the sensor resolutions of the VH-515 (12MP) and A99 II (42MP) and the VH-515 (1/2.3") and A99 II (Full frame) come with different sensor sizes.

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The VH-515 was released 5 years earlier than the A99 II and that is quite a serious difference as far as technology is concerned. Both cameras offer different body type with the Olympus VH-515 being a Compact camera and the Sony A99 II being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before diving straight into a more detailed comparison, below is a simple highlight of how the VH-515 scores versus the A99 II in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus VH-515 over the Sony A99 II

 VH-515 A99 II 
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Sony A99 II over the Olympus VH-515

 A99 II VH-515 
AnnouncedSeptember 2016August 2012Fresher by 49 months
Manually focus More exact focusing
Screen typeFully articulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen resolution1229k460kCrisper screen (+769k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Common features in the Olympus VH-515 and Sony A99 II

 VH-515 A99 II 
Screen sizing3"3"Equivalent screen dimensions

Olympus VH-515 vs Sony A99 II Physical Comparison

If you're intending to carry your camera often, you will have to consider its weight and dimensions. The Olympus VH-515 provides outside dimensions of 102mm x 60mm x 21mm (4.0" x 2.4" x 0.8") along with a weight of 152 grams (0.34 lbs) whilst the Sony A99 II has dimensions of 143mm x 104mm x 76mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.0") having a weight of 849 grams (1.87 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus VH-515 vs Sony A99 II in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you have chosen at that time. Here is the front view proportions comparison of the VH-515 and the A99 II.

Olympus VH-515 vs Sony A99 II size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the VH-515 and A99 II is 95 and 57 respectively.

Olympus VH-515 vs Sony A99 II top view buttons comparison

Olympus VH-515 vs Sony A99 II Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, its difficult to picture the gap between sensor sizing just by going over a spec sheet. The visual below should offer you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the VH-515 and A99 II.

Clearly, both of these cameras offer different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The VH-515 because of its tinier sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field more challenging and the Sony A99 II will offer extra detail as a result of its extra 30 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop photographs a little more aggressively. The older VH-515 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor technology.

Olympus VH-515 vs Sony A99 II sensor size comparison

Olympus VH-515 vs Sony A99 II Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus VH-515 vs Sony A99 II Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus VH-515 Portrait photography highlights
Sony A99 II Portrait photography highlights
27
comes with face detection focusing
lack of manual focus
no manual mode
cannot use external flash
low resolution (12MP)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW format
86
manual focus
sensor resolution is great (42MP)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
has face detect autofocus
saves RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus VH-515 Street photography info
Sony A99 II Street photography info
62
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
supports focus by touch
no moving screen
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW format
76
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
saves RAW files
environment proof
very good ISO range (25,600)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus VH-515 Sports photography features
Sony A99 II Sports photography features
32
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
comes with tracking autofocus
painfully slow continuous shooting (2.0 frames per second)
lack of shutter priority mode
low resolution (12 megapixels)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
no phase detect AF
82
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000s)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor resolution is great (42MP)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
has tracking focus
environment proof
has phase detect autofocus
not so great battery (490 CIPA)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus VH-515 as a Travel photography camera
Sony A99 II as a Travel photography camera
62
supports focus by touch
built-in flash
relatively wide (26mm)
missing Time Lapse recording
low resolution (12MP)
does not have a selfie friendly display
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
70
environment proof
has bluetooth
sensor resolution is great (42 megapixels)
display is selfie friendly
not so great battery (490 per charge)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus VH-515 Landscape photography information
Sony A99 II Landscape photography information
37
relatively wide (26mm)
nice screen size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lack of manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
no manual mode
low resolution (12 megapixels)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW format
missing Time Lapse recording
82
manual focus
change lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
decent sized screen (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor resolution is great (42MP)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
doesnt have low pass filter
very good ISO range (25,600)
saves RAW files
environment proof
has double storage slots
not so great battery (490 per charge)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus VH-515 Vlogging information
Sony A99 II Vlogging information
35
relatively wide (26mm)
touchscreen functionality
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
comes with face detection focusing
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
does not have a selfie friendly display
missing external mic socket
78
display is selfie friendly
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
has face detect autofocus
high quality video (3840 x 2160 pixels)
has mic port
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Olympus VH-515 vs Sony A99 II Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus VH-515 and Sony A99 II
 Olympus VH-515Sony Alpha A99 II
General Information
Make Olympus Sony
Model Olympus VH-515 Sony Alpha A99 II
Category Small Sensor Compact Advanced DSLR
Launched 2012-08-21 2016-09-19
Body design Compact Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic III+ Bionz X
Sensor type BSI-CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" Full frame
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 35.9 x 24mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 861.6mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 42 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4608 x 3456 7952 x 5304
Highest native ISO 1600 25600
Highest boosted ISO - 102400
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW pictures
Min boosted ISO - 50
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
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 - 399
Cross focus points - 79
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens focal range 26-130mm (5.0x) -
Largest aperture f/2.8-6.5 -
Macro focus range 5cm -
Available lenses - 143
Focal length multiplier 5.8 1
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Fully articulated
Screen diagonal 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 460 thousand dot 1,229 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Screen technology TFT Color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.78x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 4 seconds 30 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/8000 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 2.0 frames/s 12.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 4.70 m no built-in flash
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in Off, auto, fill, slow sync, redeye reduction, rear sync, high-speed sync, wireless
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash sync - 1/250 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
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) -
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 3840x2160
Video format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Mic jack
Headphone jack
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 seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 152g (0.34 pounds) 849g (1.87 pounds)
Dimensions 102 x 60 x 21mm (4.0" x 2.4" x 0.8") 143 x 104 x 76mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.0")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested 92
DXO Color Depth score not tested 25.4
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 13.4
DXO Low light score not tested 2317
Other
Battery life - 490 shots
Style of battery - NP-FM500H lithium-ion battery & charger
Battery model LI-50B -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2, 5, 10 secs)
Time lapse recording
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC/MS Duo slots
Storage slots 1 Dual
Cost at launch $648 $3,198