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Olympus VR-330 vs Sony A500

Portability
94
Imaging
37
Features
38
Overall
37
Olympus VR-330 front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 front
Portability
63
Imaging
52
Features
52
Overall
52

Olympus VR-330 vs Sony A500 Key Specs

Olympus VR-330
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 1600
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 24-300mm (F3.0-5.9) lens
  • 158g - 101 x 58 x 29mm
  • Released February 2011
  • Earlier Model is Olympus VR-320
Sony A500
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 200 - 12800
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 630g - 137 x 104 x 84mm
  • Launched August 2009
  • Refreshed by Sony A560
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Olympus VR-330 vs Sony A500 Overview

Its time to look a little more closely at the Olympus VR-330 vs Sony A500, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by competitors Olympus and Sony. The sensor resolution of the VR-330 (14MP) and the A500 (12MP) is fairly well matched but the VR-330 (1/2.3") and A500 (APS-C) offer different sensor measurements.

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The VR-330 was brought out 18 months later than the A500 making them a generation apart from one another. Each of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus VR-330 being a Compact camera and the Sony A500 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving right into a complete comparison, here is a simple highlight of how the VR-330 grades versus the A500 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus VR-330 over the Sony A500

 VR-330 A500 
LaunchedFebruary 2011August 2009More recent by 18 months
Display resolution460k230kCrisper display (+230k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony A500 over the Olympus VR-330

 A500 VR-330 
Manually focus Dial exact focusing
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display

Common features in the Olympus VR-330 and Sony A500

 VR-330 A500 
Display size3"3"Same display measurements
Selfie screen Neither comes with selfie screen
Touch display Neither comes with Touch display

Olympus VR-330 vs Sony A500 Physical Comparison

For those who are planning to lug around your camera frequently, you are going to need to take into account its weight and measurements. The Olympus VR-330 comes with outer measurements of 101mm x 58mm x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1") along with a weight of 158 grams (0.35 lbs) whilst the Sony A500 has proportions of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") and a weight of 630 grams (1.39 lbs).

Check out the Olympus VR-330 vs Sony A500 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you have attached at the time. Here is a front view overall size comparison of the VR-330 versus the A500.

Olympus VR-330 vs Sony A500 size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the VR-330 and A500 is 94 and 63 respectively.

Olympus VR-330 vs Sony A500 top view buttons comparison

Olympus VR-330 vs Sony A500 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it's hard to imagine the contrast between sensor measurements just by checking specifications. The graphic underneath should give you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the VR-330 and A500.

Plainly, both the cameras feature different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The VR-330 featuring a tinier sensor is going to make achieving shallow depth of field harder and the Olympus VR-330 will give extra detail having its extra 2MP. Greater resolution can also allow you to crop images way more aggressively. The younger VR-330 provides a benefit in sensor technology.

Olympus VR-330 vs Sony A500 sensor size comparison

Olympus VR-330 vs Sony A500 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus VR-330 vs Sony A500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus VR-330 Portrait photography features
Sony A500 Portrait photography features
33
good resolution (14MP)
features face detect focusing
focusing manually not possible
manual exposure not possible
external flash not possible
small sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW files
63
focusing manually
nice sensor size (APS-C)
has face detection autofocus
supports RAW formats
MP count low (12MP)
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus VR-330
Street photography with Sony A500
62
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than competition in class (158 grams)
screen does not articulate
small sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW files
74
screen tilts
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
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Sports Comparison

Olympus VR-330 as a Sports photography camera
Sony A500 as a Sports photography camera
47
amazing zoom range (24-300mm 12.5 x zoom)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
good resolution (14 megapixels)
features tracking focus
no shutter priority
small sensor size (1/2.3")
no phase detect AF
51
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
supports phase detect autofocus
very slow continuous shooting (5.0 frames per second)
MP count low (12MP)
terrible battery pack (520 per charge)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus VR-330 as a Travel photography camera
Sony A500 as a Travel photography camera
70
lighter than competition in class (158g)
good resolution (14MP)
has built in flash
quite wide (24mm)
long zoom (300mm)
does not have Timelapse recording
does not feature selfie friendly display
slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
43
built-in flash
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
terrible battery pack (520 CIPA)
MP count low (12 megapixels)
screen is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus VR-330 Landscape photography details
Sony A500 Landscape photography details
42
quite wide (24mm)
nice screen size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
good resolution (14MP)
focusing manually not possible
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
manual exposure not possible
small sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW files
does not have Timelapse recording
60
focusing manually
swap lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
MP count low (12 megapixels)
terrible battery pack (520 shots)
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus VR-330 Vlogging features
Sony A500 Vlogging features
32
quite wide (24mm)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
features face detect focusing
lighter than competition in class (158 grams)
slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
does not feature selfie friendly display
low res video (1280 x 720 resolution)
does not have microphone port
9
no video recording
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Olympus VR-330 vs Sony A500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus VR-330 and Sony A500
 Olympus VR-330Sony Alpha DSLR-A500
General Information
Brand Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus VR-330 Sony Alpha DSLR-A500
Class Small Sensor Superzoom Entry-Level DSLR
Released 2011-02-08 2009-08-27
Body design Compact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic III Bionz
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 14MP 12MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 4288 x 3216 4272 x 2848
Maximum native ISO 1600 12800
Minimum native ISO 80 200
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Total focus points - 9
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens zoom range 24-300mm (12.5x) -
Max aperture f/3.0-5.9 -
Macro focusing range 1cm -
Amount of lenses - 143
Crop factor 5.8 1.5
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Tilting
Screen sizing 3" 3"
Screen resolution 460k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Screen technology TFT Color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder coverage - 95 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.53x
Features
Min shutter speed 4s 30s
Max shutter speed 1/2000s 1/4000s
Continuous shutter speed - 5.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 4.70 m 12.00 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Max flash sync - 1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30, 15fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15fps) -
Maximum video resolution 1280x720 None
Video file format Motion JPEG -
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 158 grams (0.35 pounds) 630 grams (1.39 pounds)
Physical dimensions 101 x 58 x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1") 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested 64
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 21.8
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 11.6
DXO Low light rating not tested 772
Other
Battery life - 520 shots
Battery format - Battery Pack
Battery ID LI-42B NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots One One
Cost at release $220 $638