Olympus VH-515 vs Sony A850

Its time to take a more detailed look at the Olympus VH-515 and Sony A850, one is a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Advanced DSLR by brands Olympus and Sony. There exists a significant gap between the sensor resolutions of the VH-515 (12MP) and A850 (25MP) and the VH-515 (1/2.3") and A850 (Full frame) boast totally different sensor dimensions.

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The VH-515 was announced 2 years after the A850 which is quite a sizable gap as far as technology is concerned. Both the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus VH-515 being a Compact camera and the Sony A850 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before we go right into a thorough comparison, here is a concise overview of how the VH-515 matches up against the A850 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus VH-515 and Sony Alpha DSLR-A850. The whole galleries are provided at Olympus VH-515 Gallery and Sony A850 Gallery.

If you are going to travel with your camera often, you need to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Olympus VH-515 features exterior measurements of 102mm x 60mm x 21mm (4.0" x 2.4" x 0.8") with a weight of 152 grams (0.34 lbs) while the Sony A850 has dimensions of 156mm x 117mm x 82mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 3.2") with a weight of 895 grams (1.97 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus VH-515 and Sony A850 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you are employing at that moment. Following is a front view over all size comparison of the VH-515 against the A850.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the VH-515 and A850 is 95 and 54 respectively.

Typically, it can be hard to visualise the difference between sensor dimensions merely by going over technical specs. The picture underneath will help give you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the VH-515 and A850.

As you have seen, each of the cameras come with different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The VH-515 having a tinier sensor will make achieving shallower DOF trickier and the Sony A850 will offer greater detail with its extra 13 Megapixels. Greater resolution will allow you to crop photos a good deal more aggressively. The younger VH-515 is going to have a benefit in sensor innovation.