Clicky

Olympus VH-515 vs Sony A55

Portability
95
Imaging
36
Features
34
Overall
35
Olympus VH-515 front
 
Sony SLT-A55 front
Portability
67
Imaging
56
Features
80
Overall
65

Olympus VH-515 vs Sony A55 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 A55
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 100 - 12800 (Increase to 25600)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 500g - 124 x 92 x 85mm
  • Announced August 2010
  • Successor is Sony A57
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Olympus VH-515 vs Sony A55 Overview

Below, we will be analyzing the Olympus VH-515 vs Sony A55, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by competitors Olympus and Sony. There exists a crucial gap among the sensor resolutions of the VH-515 (12MP) and A55 (16MP) and the VH-515 (1/2.3") and A55 (APS-C) possess different sensor size.

Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

The VH-515 was released 2 years later than the A55 and that is a fairly serious gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both cameras come with different body type with the Olympus VH-515 being a Compact camera and the Sony A55 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before we go straight into a complete comparison, below is a brief overview of how the VH-515 scores vs the A55 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus VH-515 over the Sony A55

 VH-515 A55 
AnnouncedAugust 2012August 2010Fresher by 25 months
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Sony A55 over the Olympus VH-515

 A55 VH-515 
Manually focus More exact focusing
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen resolution921k460kClearer screen (+461k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Common features in the Olympus VH-515 and Sony A55

 VH-515 A55 
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen size

Olympus VH-515 vs Sony A55 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is aiming to carry your camera frequently, you are going to need to factor in its weight and volume. The Olympus VH-515 enjoys physical measurements of 102mm x 60mm x 21mm (4.0" x 2.4" x 0.8") accompanied by a weight of 152 grams (0.34 lbs) and the Sony A55 has sizing of 124mm x 92mm x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3") and a weight of 500 grams (1.10 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus VH-515 vs Sony A55 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you are working with during that time. The following is the front view overall size comparison of the VH-515 vs the A55.

Olympus VH-515 vs Sony A55 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the VH-515 and A55 is 95 and 67 respectively.

Olympus VH-515 vs Sony A55 top view buttons comparison

Olympus VH-515 vs Sony A55 Sensor Comparison

Typically, it is very hard to imagine the contrast in sensor sizing just by viewing specifications. The visual underneath might provide you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the VH-515 and A55.

Plainly, each of the cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The VH-515 because of its smaller sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF tougher and the Sony A55 will result in greater detail as a result of its extra 4MP. Higher resolution can also help you crop photographs somewhat more aggressively. The more modern VH-515 should have an advantage when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus VH-515 vs Sony A55 sensor size comparison

Olympus VH-515 vs Sony A55 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus VH-515 vs Sony A55 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus VH-515 Portrait photography info
Sony A55 Portrait photography info
27
features face detection focus
no manual focus
no manual control
no external flash support
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
73
you can focus manually
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
has face detect autofocus
supports RAW files
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

Street Comparison

Olympus VH-515 Street photography advice
Sony A55 Street photography advice
62
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
has focus via touch
no articulating screen
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
77
screen articulates
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW files
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Sports Comparison

Olympus VH-515 as a Sports photography camera
Sony A55 as a Sports photography camera
32
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
features tracking autofocus
slow fps (2.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority mode
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect auto focus
68
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent megapixels (16MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
sensor has phase detect autofocus
bad battery pack (380 CIPA)
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

Travel Comparison

Olympus VH-515 Travel photography features
Sony A55 Travel photography features
62
has focus via touch
flash built-in
quite wide (26mm)
lack of Timelapse function
sensor resolution low (12MP)
doesn't offer selfie friendly display
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
62
decent megapixels (16MP)
has built in flash
selfie friendly screen
lack of Timelapse recording
bad battery pack (380 CIPA)
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus VH-515
Landscape photography with Sony A55
37
quite wide (26mm)
pretty good screen size (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
no manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
no manual control
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
lack of Timelapse function
67
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen size is good (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW files
bad battery pack (380 CIPA)
lack of Timelapse recording
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus VH-515 Vlogging info
Sony A55 Vlogging info
35
quite wide (26mm)
built-in touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
features face detection focus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
doesn't offer selfie friendly display
lack of external microphone socket
78
selfie friendly screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
has face detect autofocus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
includes microphone support
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Olympus VH-515 vs Sony A55 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus VH-515 and Sony A55
 Olympus VH-515Sony SLT-A55
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Sony
Model Olympus VH-515 Sony SLT-A55
Type Small Sensor Compact Entry-Level DSLR
Released 2012-08-21 2010-08-24
Physical type Compact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic III+ Bionz
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 16MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 4608 x 3456 4912 x 3264
Max native ISO 1600 12800
Max enhanced ISO - 25600
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW support
Autofocusing
Manual focus
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
Tracking AF
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points - 15
Cross focus points - 3
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens focal range 26-130mm (5.0x) -
Largest aperture f/2.8-6.5 -
Macro focus distance 5cm -
Available lenses - 143
Crop factor 5.8 1.5
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Screen size 3 inch 3 inch
Screen resolution 460k dots 921k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Screen tech TFT Color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,150k dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.73x
Features
Min shutter speed 4 secs 30 secs
Max shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shutter rate 2.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 4.70 m 10.00 m (@ ISO 100)
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Max flash synchronize - 1/160 secs
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 (60, 29.97 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 640 x 424 (29.97 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video file format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 152 grams (0.34 lb) 500 grams (1.10 lb)
Dimensions 102 x 60 x 21mm (4.0" x 2.4" x 0.8") 124 x 92 x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested 73
DXO Color Depth score not tested 23.0
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 12.4
DXO Low light score not tested 816
Other
Battery life - 380 photos
Type of battery - Battery Pack
Battery model LI-50B NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots 1 1
Launch price $648 $800