Sony DSLR-A500 vs Olympus SP-820UZ

Sony DSLR-A500 advantages over Olympus SP-820UZ

• Larger sensor
  APS-C vs 1/2.3 inch
  More sensor area. Bigger is (generally) better.
• Eye-level viewfinder
  Eye-level vs Rear display only
  You'll be able to frame photos even when the sun is out
• Bigger pixels
  ~ 5.55 vs 1.44 microns
  Better low-light and dynamic range (all else equal)
• Tiltable Screen
  Tiltable vs Fixed
  Tilt the screen for shooting flexbility
• RAW file ability
  Yes vs No
  Gives you more flexibility to develop your photos later
• Manual focus
  Yes vs No
  AF is for the weak. Real photographers focus manually.
• Hot shoe
  Hot shoe vs None
  Off-camera flashes open new possibilities
• Longer exposure
  30 vs 4 sec
  Long exposures for night shots
• Faster JPEG shooting
  4.9 fps vs 3.0 fps
  Faster JPEG shooting (burst mode)
• Bigger JPEG buffer
  5 vs 3 shots
  Take more JPEG shots before waiting (burst mode)
• Faster shutter
  1/4000 vs 1/2000 sec
  Shoot wide open in bright light
• Higher extended ISO
  12800 vs 6400 ISO
  Higher extended ISO can give more low-light flexibility