Olympus E-5 vs Sony A55

Lets take a closer look at the Olympus E-5 and Sony A55, former is a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by rivals Olympus and Sony. There exists a noticeable gap among the image resolutions of the E-5 (12MP) and A55 (16MP) and the E-5 (Four Thirds) and A55 (APS-C) boast different sensor size.

Photography Glossary

The E-5 was unveiled 6 months after the A55 and they are of a similar age. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-5 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony A55 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving into a step-by-step comparison, here is a concise view of how the E-5 matches up against the A55 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Below is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus E-5 & Sony SLT-A55. The full galleries are viewable at Olympus E-5 Gallery & Sony A55 Gallery.

In case you're aiming to carry around your camera frequently, you have to take into account its weight and size. The Olympus E-5 provides outer dimensions of 143mm x 117mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") with a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs) while the Sony A55 has specifications of 124mm x 92mm x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3") having a weight of 500 grams (1.10 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-5 and Sony A55 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you are working with during that time. Following is a front view scale comparison of the E-5 and the A55.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-5 and A55 is 58 and 67 respectively.

More often than not, it's tough to visualize the contrast in sensor sizes only by looking through a spec sheet. The image underneath will give you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the E-5 and A55.

Clearly, both of those cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The E-5 using its smaller sensor is going to make getting shallow DOF more difficult and the Sony A55 will result in greater detail having an extra 4MP. Higher resolution will enable you to crop pictures more aggressively.