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Olympus VH-515 vs Sony RX100 III

Portability
95
Imaging
36
Features
34
Overall
35
Olympus VH-515 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 III front
Portability
89
Imaging
52
Features
77
Overall
62

Olympus VH-515 vs Sony RX100 III 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
  • Revealed August 2012
Sony RX100 III
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 125 - 12800
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-70mm (F1.8-2.8) lens
  • 290g - 102 x 58 x 41mm
  • Announced May 2014
  • Older Model is Sony RX100 II
  • Replacement is Sony RX100 IV
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Olympus VH-515 vs Sony RX100 III Overview

Here is a thorough analysis of the Olympus VH-515 vs Sony RX100 III, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Large Sensor Compact by competitors Olympus and Sony. There exists a huge gap among the image resolutions of the VH-515 (12MP) and RX100 III (20MP) and the VH-515 (1/2.3") and RX100 III (1") possess totally different sensor dimensions.

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The VH-515 was manufactured 21 months prior to the RX100 III which makes the cameras a generation apart from one another. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus VH-515 being a Compact camera and the Sony RX100 III being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before getting straight into a detailed comparison, below is a simple introduction of how the VH-515 scores vs the RX100 III when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus VH-515 over the Sony RX100 III

 VH-515 RX100 III 
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Sony RX100 III over the Olympus VH-515

 RX100 III VH-515 
AnnouncedMay 2014August 2012Fresher by 21 months
Manual focus More accurate focusing
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution1229k460kSharper screen (+769k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Common features in the Olympus VH-515 and Sony RX100 III

 VH-515 RX100 III 
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen sizing

Olympus VH-515 vs Sony RX100 III Physical Comparison

If you're going to carry your camera frequently, you will need to factor its weight and measurements. The Olympus VH-515 provides exterior 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 RX100 III has proportions of 102mm x 58mm x 41mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.6") along with a weight of 290 grams (0.64 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus VH-515 vs Sony RX100 III in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you are using at the time. Below is the front view dimension comparison of the VH-515 and the RX100 III.

Olympus VH-515 vs Sony RX100 III size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the VH-515 and RX100 III is 95 and 89 respectively.

Olympus VH-515 vs Sony RX100 III top view buttons comparison

Olympus VH-515 vs Sony RX100 III Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it is very difficult to envision the gap in sensor sizing only by looking through a spec sheet. The visual underneath might offer you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the VH-515 and RX100 III.

As you can see, both of these cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The VH-515 because of its smaller sensor will make getting shallower depth of field more challenging and the Sony RX100 III will provide you with extra detail due to its extra 8MP. Higher resolution will let you crop photographs much more aggressively. The older VH-515 will be disadvantaged in sensor tech.

Olympus VH-515 vs Sony RX100 III sensor size comparison

Olympus VH-515 vs Sony RX100 III Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus VH-515 vs Sony RX100 III Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus VH-515
Portrait photography with Sony RX100 III
27
features face detect focus
no manual focus
manual exposure not possible
can't use external flash
megapixel count low (12MP)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW files
65
you can focus manually
high flash sync speed (1/2,000s)
sensor resolution is decent (20 megapixels)
good sensor size (1")
supports face detection focus
saves RAW files
no external flash support
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Street Comparison

Olympus VH-515 Street photography details
Sony RX100 III Street photography details
62
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
features focus by touch
no moving screen
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW files
85
tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Optical)
good sensor size (1")
saves RAW files
lighter than average in class (290 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus VH-515 as a Sports photography camera
Sony RX100 III as a Sports photography camera
32
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
features tracking focus
very slow continuous shooting (2.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
no phase detect auto focus
66
built in image stabilization (Optical)
sensor resolution is decent (20 megapixels)
good sensor size (1")
supports tracking autofocus
does not have phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus VH-515 Travel photography factors
Sony RX100 III Travel photography factors
62
features focus by touch
has built in flash
decently wide (26mm)
lack of Time Lapse recording
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
display isn't selfie friendly
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
86
lighter than average in class (290g)
sensor resolution is decent (20 megapixels)
has built in flash
selfie friendly screen
rather wide (24mm)
great maximum aperture (f1.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus VH-515
Landscape photography with Sony RX100 III
37
decently wide (26mm)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
no manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
manual exposure not possible
megapixel count low (12MP)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW files
lack of Time Lapse recording
74
you can focus manually
rather wide (24mm)
great maximum aperture (f1.8)
nice screen size (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
sensor resolution is decent (20MP)
good sensor size (1")
saves RAW files
cannot swap lenses (fixed lens mount)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus VH-515 Vlogging advice
Sony RX100 III Vlogging advice
35
decently wide (26mm)
touch screen
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
features face detect focus
video res high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
display isn't selfie friendly
lack of mic jack
81
rather wide (24mm)
great maximum aperture (f1.8)
selfie friendly screen
built in image stabilization (Optical)
supports face detection focus
high video quality (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lighter than average in class (290 grams)
missing external microphone support
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Olympus VH-515 vs Sony RX100 III Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus VH-515 and Sony RX100 III
 Olympus VH-515Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 III
General Information
Company Olympus Sony
Model Olympus VH-515 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 III
Class Small Sensor Compact Large Sensor Compact
Revealed 2012-08-21 2014-05-15
Physical type Compact Large Sensor Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic III+ Bionz X
Sensor type BSI-CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1"
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 13.2 x 8.8mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 116.2mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 20MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4608 x 3456 5472 x 3648
Max native ISO 1600 12800
Minimum native ISO 100 125
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
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 - 25
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 26-130mm (5.0x) 24-70mm (2.9x)
Maximal aperture f/2.8-6.5 f/1.8-2.8
Macro focus distance 5cm 5cm
Crop factor 5.8 2.7
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Tilting
Screen diagonal 3" 3"
Screen resolution 460k dots 1,229k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Screen tech TFT Color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,440k dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.59x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 4s 30s
Maximum shutter speed 1/2000s 1/2000s
Continuous shooting rate 2.0 frames per second 10.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 4.70 m -
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in -
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize - 1/2000s
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
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) 1920 x 1080 (60p/60i/24p), 1280 x 720 (60p/30p/24p/120p), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Microphone support
Headphone support
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 sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 152 gr (0.34 pounds) 290 gr (0.64 pounds)
Dimensions 102 x 60 x 21mm (4.0" x 2.4" x 0.8") 102 x 58 x 41mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.6")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested 67
DXO Color Depth score not tested 22.4
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 12.3
DXO Low light score not tested 495
Other
Battery life - 320 images
Type of battery - Battery Pack
Battery model LI-50B NP-BX1
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, self-portrait, continuous)
Time lapse feature With downloadable app
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots 1 1
Price at launch $648 $748