Olympus E-300 vs Sony A550

Below is a extensive overview of the Olympus E-300 versus Sony A550, one being a Advanced DSLR and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by rivals Olympus and Sony. There is a significant difference between the resolutions of the E-300 (8MP) and A550 (14MP) and the E-300 (Four Thirds) and A550 (APS-C) provide different sensor measurements.

Photography Glossary

The E-300 was manufactured 5 years earlier than the A550 and that is quite a sizable gap as far as tech is concerned. Both the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-300 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony A550 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before going into a in depth comparison, here is a concise introduction of how the E-300 grades versus the A550 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus E-300 and Sony Alpha DSLR-A550. The entire galleries are available at Olympus E-300 Gallery and Sony A550 Gallery.

When you are going to lug around your camera frequently, you're going to have to consider its weight and volume. The Olympus E-300 features outer measurements of 147mm x 85mm x 64mm (5.8" x 3.3" x 2.5") along with a weight of 624 grams (1.38 lbs) and the Sony A550 has sizing of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") along with a weight of 632 grams (1.39 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-300 versus Sony A550 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you are using at the time. Below is a front view measurement comparison of the E-300 vs the A550.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability grade of the E-300 and A550 is 67 and 63 respectively.

Generally, it's tough to visualize the contrast between sensor measurements only by reviewing a spec sheet. The photograph underneath should give you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the E-300 and A550.

As you can see, each of these cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-300 because of its tinier sensor is going to make shooting bokeh trickier and the Sony A550 will deliver greater detail due to its extra 6MP. Greater resolution can also enable you to crop pics more aggressively. The older E-300 is going to be behind with regard to sensor tech.