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Olympus E-330 vs Sony A550

Portability
65
Imaging
41
Features
40
Overall
40
Olympus E-330 front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 front
Portability
63
Imaging
54
Features
65
Overall
58

Olympus E-330 vs Sony A550 Key Specs

Olympus E-330
(Full Review)
  • 7MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.5" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 400 (Boost to 1600)
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 616g - 140 x 87 x 72mm
  • Introduced March 2006
  • Additionally Known as EVOLT E-330
  • Replaced the Olympus E-300
  • Updated by Olympus E-450
Sony A550
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 200 - 12800
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 632g - 137 x 104 x 84mm
  • Released December 2009
  • Old Model is Sony A100
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Olympus E-330 vs Sony A550 Overview

Let's look a little more closely at the Olympus E-330 versus Sony A550, one is a Advanced DSLR and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by competitors Olympus and Sony. There exists a huge gap between the image resolutions of the E-330 (7MP) and A550 (14MP) and the E-330 (Four Thirds) and A550 (APS-C) enjoy different sensor measurements.

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The E-330 was announced 4 years before the A550 which is quite a significant gap as far as technology is concerned. Each of these cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-330 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony A550 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving straight into a in depth comparison, below is a short overview of how the E-330 grades vs the A550 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-330 over the Sony A550

 E-330 A550 

Reasons to pick Sony A550 over the Olympus E-330

 A550 E-330 
ReleasedDecember 2009March 2006More modern by 45 months
Display sizing3"2.5"Larger display (+0.5")
Display resolution922k215kCrisper display (+707k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-330 and Sony A550

 E-330 A550 
Focus manually Very exact focus
Display typeTiltingTiltingTilting display
Selfie screen Lacking selfie screen
Touch display Lacking Touch display

Olympus E-330 vs Sony A550 Physical Comparison

If you are intending to carry around your camera frequently, you need to consider its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-330 provides physical measurements of 140mm x 87mm x 72mm (5.5" x 3.4" x 2.8") along with a weight of 616 grams (1.36 lbs) whilst the Sony A550 has dimensions of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") having a weight of 632 grams (1.39 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-330 versus Sony A550 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you use during that time. The following is the front view measurement comparison of the E-330 vs the A550.

Olympus E-330 vs Sony A550 size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-330 and A550 is 65 and 63 respectively.

Olympus E-330 vs Sony A550 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-330 vs Sony A550 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it is hard to visualize the difference between sensor sizes purely by reviewing technical specs. The picture underneath will help give you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-330 and A550.

As you can tell, each of these cameras enjoy different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The E-330 using its tinier sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF tougher and the Sony A550 will offer you more detail with its extra 7MP. Greater resolution will let you crop pics far more aggressively. The more aged E-330 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor technology.

Olympus E-330 vs Sony A550 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-330 vs Sony A550 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-330 vs Sony A550 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-330 Portrait photography factors
Sony A550 Portrait photography factors
54
focusing manually
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
low megapixels (7 megapixels)
72
focusing manually
MP count decent (14MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
has face detection focusing
exports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-330 Street photography factors
Sony A550 Street photography factors
60
screen tilts up and down
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
lighter than competitors in class (616g)
no image stabilization
low maximum ISO (400)
74
tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-330 Sports photography highlights
Sony A550 Sports photography highlights
40
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
has phase detect auto focus
painfully slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames per second)
no image stabilization
low megapixels (7 megapixels)
67
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count decent (14 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
supports phase detect AF
terrible battery power (480 shots)
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-330
Travel photography with Sony A550
50
lighter than competitors in class (616 grams)
built-in flash
missing Timelapse recording
low megapixels (7MP)
screen is not selfie friendly
52
MP count decent (14MP)
has built in flash
does not have Timelapse function
terrible battery power (480 CIPA)
screen is not selfie friendly
Photography Glossary

Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-330 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony A550 as a Landscape photography camera
45
focusing manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
tiny screen (2.5")
no image stabilization
low megapixels (7MP)
low maximum ISO (400)
missing Timelapse recording
66
focusing manually
swap lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
decent sized screen (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count decent (14 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
terrible battery power (480 shots)
does not have Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-330 Vlogging highlights
Sony A550 Vlogging highlights
9
no video
9
can't shoot video
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Olympus E-330 vs Sony A550 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-330 and Sony A550
 Olympus E-330Sony Alpha DSLR-A550
General Information
Brand Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus E-330 Sony Alpha DSLR-A550
Also Known as EVOLT E-330 -
Category Advanced DSLR Entry-Level DSLR
Introduced 2006-03-18 2009-12-09
Physical type Mid-size SLR Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Chip - Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 23.4 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 365.0mm²
Sensor resolution 7 megapixel 14 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 3136 x 2352 4592 x 3056
Max native ISO 400 12800
Max boosted ISO 1600 -
Lowest native ISO 100 200
RAW files
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Total focus points 3 9
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds Sony/Minolta Alpha
Amount of lenses 45 143
Crop factor 2.1 1.5
Screen
Screen type Tilting Tilting
Screen size 2.5" 3"
Screen resolution 215k dots 922k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentamirror) Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent 95 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.47x 0.53x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 3.0 frames/s 7.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance - 12.00 m
Flash settings Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/180 seconds 1/160 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Max video resolution None None
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 1.0 (1.5 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 616g (1.36 pounds) 632g (1.39 pounds)
Dimensions 140 x 87 x 72mm (5.5" x 3.4" x 2.8") 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested 66
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 21.9
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 11.8
DXO Low light rating not tested 807
Other
Battery life - 480 shots
Battery type - Battery Pack
Battery ID - NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots One One
Pricing at launch $1,100 $749