Olympus E-420 vs Sony W550

Below is a detailed review of the Olympus E-420 versus Sony W550, one being a Entry-Level DSLR and the other is a Ultracompact by companies Olympus and Sony. There exists a significant gap between the sensor resolutions of the E-420 (10MP) and W550 (14MP) and the E-420 (Four Thirds) and W550 (1/2.3") provide different sensor sizing.

Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

The E-420 was brought out 4 years before the W550 and that is quite a sizable gap as far as technology is concerned. Both the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-420 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony W550 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before delving right into a more detailed comparison, here is a simple highlight of how the E-420 scores versus the W550 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus E-420 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W550. The entire galleries are viewable at Olympus E-420 Gallery and Sony W550 Gallery.

If you're looking to lug around your camera frequently, you will want to consider its weight and volume. The Olympus E-420 has outer measurements of 130mm x 91mm x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") and a weight of 426 grams (0.94 lbs) while the Sony W550 has sizing of 94mm x 56mm x 19mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.7") accompanied by a weight of 110 grams (0.24 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-420 versus Sony W550 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you have at that time. The following is a front view sizing comparison of the E-420 compared to the W550.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-420 and W550 is 77 and 96 respectively.

Normally, it is hard to visualize the gap between sensor measurements simply by reviewing specs. The graphic here will help provide you a better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-420 and W550.

All in all, each of the cameras have different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-420 featuring a larger sensor is going to make getting shallower depth of field less difficult and the Sony W550 will deliver extra detail having its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop images a bit more aggressively. The older E-420 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor technology.