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Olympus VH-515 vs Sony A6500

Portability
95
Imaging
36
Features
34
Overall
35
Olympus VH-515 front
 
Sony Alpha a6500 front
Portability
81
Imaging
67
Features
85
Overall
74

Olympus VH-515 vs Sony A6500 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
  • Released August 2012
Sony A6500
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600 (Expand to 51200)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 453g - 120 x 67 x 53mm
  • Introduced October 2016
  • Superseded the Sony A6300
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Olympus VH-515 vs Sony A6500 Overview

Let's look a bit more closely at the Olympus VH-515 versus Sony A6500, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Advanced Mirrorless by brands Olympus and Sony. There exists a significant gap between the resolutions of the VH-515 (12MP) and A6500 (24MP) and the VH-515 (1/2.3") and A6500 (APS-C) use different sensor size.

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The VH-515 was launched 5 years prior to the A6500 and that is quite a sizable gap as far as technology is concerned. The two cameras come with different body type with the Olympus VH-515 being a Compact camera and the Sony A6500 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving through a step-by-step comparison, below is a quick summation of how the VH-515 scores against the A6500 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus VH-515 over the Sony A6500

 VH-515 A6500 

Reasons to pick Sony A6500 over the Olympus VH-515

 A6500 VH-515 
IntroducedOctober 2016August 2012More recent by 50 months
Manual focus More exact focusing
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution922k460kClearer screen (+462k dot)

Common features in the Olympus VH-515 and Sony A6500

 VH-515 A6500 
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen size
Selfie screen Neither features selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Olympus VH-515 vs Sony A6500 Physical Comparison

If you are planning to lug around your camera regularly, you are going to need to consider its weight and dimensions. The Olympus VH-515 enjoys 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 A6500 has dimensions of 120mm x 67mm x 53mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 2.1") and a weight of 453 grams (1.00 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus VH-515 versus Sony A6500 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you are utilising during that time. Here is the front view scale comparison of the VH-515 compared to the A6500.

Olympus VH-515 vs Sony A6500 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the VH-515 and A6500 is 95 and 81 respectively.

Olympus VH-515 vs Sony A6500 top view buttons comparison

Olympus VH-515 vs Sony A6500 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it is tough to visualize the gap between sensor measurements only by reading through specs. The graphic underneath will offer you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the VH-515 and A6500.

All in all, each of the cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The VH-515 because of its tinier sensor is going to make getting shallow DOF tougher and the Sony A6500 will resolve extra detail utilizing its extra 12MP. Higher resolution will enable you to crop pictures much more aggressively. The older VH-515 is going to be behind in sensor technology.

Olympus VH-515 vs Sony A6500 sensor size comparison

Olympus VH-515 vs Sony A6500 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus VH-515 vs Sony A6500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus VH-515 Portrait photography factors
Sony A6500 Portrait photography factors
27
has face detect autofocus
lack of manual focus
no manual exposure
no external flash support
low resolution (12MP)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
80
manual focus
decent megapixels (24 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
includes face detect autofocus
exports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus VH-515
Street photography with Sony A6500
62
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
provides touch to focus
no articulating screen
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
85
has a tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
exports RAW files
includes touch focus
weather proofing
very good high ISO (25,600)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus VH-515 Sports photography features
Sony A6500 Sports photography features
32
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
has tracking focus
continuous shooting slow (2.0 frames per second)
lack of shutter priority mode
low resolution (12 megapixels)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect autofocus
77
silent mode (1/32,000 seconds)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent megapixels (24MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
includes tracking focus
weather proofing
has phase detect autofocus
low battery power (350 per charge)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus VH-515 as a Travel photography camera
Sony A6500 as a Travel photography camera
62
provides touch to focus
flash built-in
decently wide (26mm)
lack of Time Lapse function
low resolution (12 megapixels)
does not contain selfie friendly display
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
74
weather proofing
connects via bluetooth
includes touch focus
decent megapixels (24MP)
has built in flash
low battery power (350 per charge)
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus VH-515 Landscape photography information
Sony A6500 Landscape photography information
37
decently wide (26mm)
good sized screen (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lack of manual focus
cannot change lens (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
no manual exposure
low resolution (12 megapixels)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
lack of Time Lapse function
79
manual focus
swap lenses (Sony E mount)
nice screen size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent megapixels (24MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
very good high ISO (25,600)
exports RAW files
weather proofing
low battery power (350 shots)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus VH-515 as a Vlogging camera
Sony A6500 as a Vlogging camera
35
decently wide (26mm)
touchscreen enabled
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
has face detect autofocus
good video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
does not contain selfie friendly display
lack of mic jack
39
touchscreen capability
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
includes face detect autofocus
high res video (3840 x 2160 pixels)
has mic port
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
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Olympus VH-515 vs Sony A6500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus VH-515 and Sony A6500
 Olympus VH-515Sony Alpha a6500
General Information
Brand Olympus Sony
Model Olympus VH-515 Sony Alpha a6500
Type Small Sensor Compact Advanced Mirrorless
Released 2012-08-21 2016-10-06
Body design Compact Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic III+ Bionz X
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 24 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4608 x 3456 6000 x 4000
Max native ISO 1600 25600
Max boosted ISO - 51200
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW files
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Number of focus points - 425
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens Sony E
Lens focal range 26-130mm (5.0x) -
Maximal aperture f/2.8-6.5 -
Macro focus range 5cm -
Available lenses - 121
Crop factor 5.8 1.5
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Tilting
Screen sizing 3" 3"
Screen resolution 460k dot 922k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Screen technology TFT Color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359k dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.7x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 4 secs 30 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/4000 secs
Highest silent shutter speed - 1/32000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 2.0 frames/s 11.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation - Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 4.70 m 6.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in Flash off, Autoflash, Fill-flash, Rear Sync., Slow Sync., Red-eye reduction (On/Off selectable), Hi-speed sync, Wireless
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash sync - 1/160 secs
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
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) 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM
Max video resolution 1920x1080 3840x2160
Video data 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
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 152 grams (0.34 lb) 453 grams (1.00 lb)
Dimensions 102 x 60 x 21mm (4.0" x 2.4" x 0.8") 120 x 67 x 53mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 2.1")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested 85
DXO Color Depth score not tested 24.5
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 13.7
DXO Low light score not tested 1405
Other
Battery life - 350 photos
Battery form - Battery Pack
Battery model LI-50B NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes
Time lapse feature With downloadable app
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC + Memory Stick Pro Duo
Storage slots One One
Pricing at launch $648 $1,298