Olympus E-1 vs Olympus 550WP

In this article, we are matching up the Olympus E-1 versus Olympus 550WP, former being a Pro DSLR while the other is a Small Sensor Compact and both of them are produced by Olympus. There exists a substantial gap among the sensor resolutions of the E-1 (5MP) and 550WP (10MP) and the E-1 (Four Thirds) and 550WP (1/2.3") possess different sensor sizes.

Photography Glossary

The E-1 was announced 6 years before the 550WP and that is a fairly big difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-1 being a Large SLR camera and the Olympus 550WP being a Compact camera.

Before diving in to a detailed comparison, below is a short highlight of how the E-1 scores vs the 550WP with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus E-1 & Olympus Stylus 550WP. The whole galleries are provided at Olympus E-1 Gallery & Olympus 550WP Gallery.

For those who are aiming to lug around your camera, you are going to need to factor in its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-1 has external dimensions of 141mm x 104mm x 81mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.2") and a weight of 735 grams (1.62 lbs) and the Olympus 550WP has proportions of 94mm x 62mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.4" x 0.9") accompanied by a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-1 versus Olympus 550WP in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you select at that time. Following is the front view proportions comparison of the E-1 and the 550WP.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-1 and 550WP is 59 and 94 respectively.

Quite often, it is tough to imagine the gap in sensor measurements purely by going through specs. The photograph here should offer you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-1 and 550WP.

All in all, both of the cameras offer different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-1 having a larger sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field less difficult and the Olympus 550WP will provide more detail with its extra 5 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also let you crop photos a little more aggressively. The older E-1 will be disadvantaged in sensor tech.