Olympus VH-515 vs Sony A100

Its time to look a bit more in depth at the Olympus VH-515 and Sony A100, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by competitors Olympus and Sony. The sensor resolution of the VH-515 (12MP) and the A100 (10MP) is pretty close but the VH-515 (1/2.3") and A100 (APS-C) feature totally different sensor dimensions.

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The VH-515 was unveiled 6 years after the A100 which is a fairly big difference as far as camera tech is concerned. The two cameras come with different body type with the Olympus VH-515 being a Compact camera and the Sony A100 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before going straight into a step-by-step comparison, below is a quick summation of how the VH-515 matches up versus the A100 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Below is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus VH-515 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A100. The full galleries are viewable at Olympus VH-515 Gallery & Sony A100 Gallery.

When you are intending to travel with your camera regularly, you will want to consider its weight and volume. The Olympus VH-515 has got outer dimensions of 102mm x 60mm x 21mm (4.0" x 2.4" x 0.8") having a weight of 152 grams (0.34 lbs) whilst the Sony A100 has sizing of 133mm x 95mm x 71mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 2.8") having a weight of 638 grams (1.41 lbs).

Examine the Olympus VH-515 and Sony A100 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you use during that time. Following is the front view proportions comparison of the VH-515 compared to the A100.

Using size and weight, the portability score of the VH-515 and A100 is 95 and 64 respectively.

In many cases, it's tough to visualise the contrast in sensor dimensions simply by looking through specs. The picture here may offer you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the VH-515 and A100.

All in all, the two cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The VH-515 with its smaller sensor will make shooting shallower depth of field trickier and the Olympus VH-515 will render greater detail having an extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will let you crop pictures much more aggressively. The fresher VH-515 is going to have a benefit with regard to sensor innovation.