Olympus E-510 vs Sony A550

The following is a in-depth analysis of the Olympus E-510 versus Sony A550, one is a Advanced DSLR and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. There is a sizeable difference between the resolutions of the E-510 (10MP) and A550 (14MP) and the E-510 (Four Thirds) and A550 (APS-C) offer totally different sensor sizes.

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The E-510 was revealed 24 months before the A550 making them a generation away from each other. Both the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-510 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony A550 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before delving straight to a step-by-step comparison, here is a simple introduction of how the E-510 matches up vs the A550 for portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Here is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus E-510 and Sony Alpha DSLR-A550. The full galleries are available at Olympus E-510 Gallery and Sony A550 Gallery.

In case you're looking to travel with your camera frequently, you are going to need to take into account its weight and volume. The Olympus E-510 comes with external measurements of 136mm x 92mm x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") with a weight of 490 grams (1.08 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-510 versus Sony A550 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you are working with at the time. Following is a front view over all size comparison of the E-510 compared to the A550.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability rating of the E-510 and A550 is 69 and 63 respectively.

Oftentimes, it is difficult to visualise the contrast between sensor dimensions simply by checking technical specs. The image underneath should give you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the E-510 and A550.

As you can tell, both of those cameras feature different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The E-510 using its tinier sensor will make achieving shallower depth of field trickier and the Sony A550 will give you extra detail because of its extra 4MP. Greater resolution can also let you crop photos way more aggressively. The more aged E-510 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor technology.