Olympus E-510 vs Sony A55

Here is a complete analysis of the Olympus E-510 versus Sony A55, one being a Advanced DSLR and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Olympus and Sony. There is a significant difference among the sensor resolutions of the E-510 (10MP) and A55 (16MP) and the E-510 (Four Thirds) and A55 (APS-C) possess different sensor dimensions.

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The E-510 was revealed 3 years earlier than the A55 and that is a fairly sizable gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-510 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony A55 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before delving in to a full comparison, below is a concise summary of how the E-510 scores against the A55 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus E-510 and Sony SLT-A55. The full galleries are viewable at Olympus E-510 Gallery and Sony A55 Gallery.

If you're going to carry your camera regularly, you will want to consider its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-510 provides external dimensions of 136mm x 92mm x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") with a weight of 490 grams (1.08 lbs) whilst the Sony A55 has dimensions of 124mm x 92mm x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3") along with a weight of 500 grams (1.10 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-510 versus Sony A55 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you are employing at that moment. Here is the front view dimension comparison of the E-510 versus the A55.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability grade of the E-510 and A55 is 69 and 67 respectively.

In many cases, it can be hard to imagine the gap in sensor sizing merely by looking through specs. The photograph below will provide you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-510 and A55.

As you can plainly see, both cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The E-510 using its smaller sensor is going to make getting shallower DOF trickier and the Sony A55 will result in extra detail because of its extra 6MP. Greater resolution will also help you crop photos much more aggressively. The older E-510 will be disadvantaged in sensor tech.