Canon 550D vs Olympus E-M5

Below is a extensive review of the Canon 550D and Olympus E-M5, former being a Entry-Level DSLR while the latter is a Advanced Mirrorless by companies Canon and Olympus. The resolution of the 550D (18MP) and the E-M5 (16MP) is pretty close but the 550D (APS-C) and E-M5 (Four Thirds) come with different sensor sizing.

Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

The 550D was brought out 3 years prior to the E-M5 and that is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Canon 550D being a Compact SLR camera and the Olympus E-M5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before we go straight into a detailed comparison, below is a simple view of how the 550D matches up versus the E-M5 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a preview of the gallery images for Canon EOS 550D & Olympus OM-D E-M5. The entire galleries are provided at Canon 550D Gallery & Olympus E-M5 Gallery.

If you are looking to lug around your camera often, you need to consider its weight and dimensions. The Canon 550D has exterior measurements of 129mm x 98mm x 62mm (5.1" x 3.9" x 2.4") having a weight of 530 grams (1.17 lbs) and the Olympus E-M5 has dimensions of 122mm x 89mm x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") and a weight of 425 grams (0.94 lbs).

Check out the Canon 550D and Olympus E-M5 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you are employing at that time. Here is the front view dimension comparison of the 550D versus the E-M5.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the 550D and E-M5 is 70 and 81 respectively.

Quite often, it can be difficult to picture the gap in sensor measurements just by looking through a spec sheet. The graphic here might offer you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the 550D and E-M5.

Clearly, both of those cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The 550D due to its bigger sensor is going to make shooting shallower depth of field easier and the Canon 550D will render extra detail having its extra 2MP. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop pictures much more aggressively. The older 550D will be behind when it comes to sensor tech.