Olympus VH-515 vs Sony A500

On this page, we will be reviewing the Olympus VH-515 versus Sony A500, 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 A500 (12MP) is pretty comparable but the VH-515 (1/2.3") and A500 (APS-C) boast totally different sensor measurements.

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The VH-515 was revealed 3 years after the A500 which is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera tech is concerned. The two cameras have different body design with the Olympus VH-515 being a Compact camera and the Sony A500 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before getting straight to a complete comparison, here is a concise highlight of how the VH-515 grades versus the A500 for portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus VH-515 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A500. The full galleries are provided at Olympus VH-515 Gallery & Sony A500 Gallery.

If you are looking to travel with your camera, you should consider its weight and size. The Olympus VH-515 has exterior measurements of 102mm x 60mm x 21mm (4.0" x 2.4" x 0.8") and a weight of 152 grams (0.34 lbs) and the Sony A500 has specifications of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") along with a weight of 630 grams (1.39 lbs).

Look at the Olympus VH-515 versus Sony A500 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you select at the time. Underneath is a front view dimension comparison of the VH-515 compared to the A500.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability rating of the VH-515 and A500 is 95 and 63 respectively.

Often, it can be difficult to envision the gap in sensor dimensions only by checking out specifications. The image below might give you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the VH-515 and A500.

To sum up, both of these cameras provide the same MP albeit not the same sensor dimensions. The VH-515 comes with the smaller sensor which is going to make obtaining shallow DOF harder. The fresher VH-515 is going to have a benefit in sensor innovation.