Olympus E-600 vs Sony A550
71 Imaging
46 Features
50 Overall
47


63 Imaging
53 Features
65 Overall
57
Olympus E-600 vs Sony A550 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
- 2.7" Fully Articulated Display
- ISO 100 - 3200
- Sensor based Image Stabilization
- No Video
- Micro Four Thirds Mount
- 515g - 130 x 94 x 60mm
- Introduced August 2009
(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
- Introduced December 2009
- Older Model is Sony A100

Olympus E-600 vs Sony A550 Overview
Here is a detailed overview of the Olympus E-600 vs Sony A550, both Entry-Level DSLR cameras by brands Olympus and Sony. The sensor resolution of the E-600 (12MP) and the A550 (14MP) is very close but the E-600 (Four Thirds) and A550 (APS-C) posses different sensor dimensions.

The E-600 was brought out 3 months before the A550 and they are both of a similar generation. Each of the cameras have the same body design (Compact SLR).
Before we go right into a thorough comparison, here is a concise overview of how the E-600 scores vs the A550 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Olympus E-600 vs Sony A550 Gallery
Following is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus E-600 and Sony Alpha DSLR-A550. The entire galleries are provided at Olympus E-600 Gallery and Sony A550 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-600 over the Sony A550
E-600 | A550 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Display type | Fully Articulated | ![]() | Tilting | Fully Articulating display |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Take selfies |
Reasons to pick Sony A550 over the Olympus E-600
A550 | E-600 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Display dimensions | 3" | ![]() | 2.7" | Larger display (+0.3") |
Display resolution | 922k | ![]() | 230k | Sharper display (+692k dot) |
Common features in the Olympus E-600 and Sony A550
E-600 | A550 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Introduced | August 2009 | ![]() | December 2009 | Same generation |
Focus manually | ![]() | Very precise focusing | ||
Touch display | ![]() | Neither offers Touch display |
Olympus E-600 vs Sony A550 Physical Comparison
For anybody who is planning to carry your camera frequently, you should take into account its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-600 offers external measurements of 130mm x 94mm x 60mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.4") with a weight of 515 grams (1.14 lbs) while the Sony A550 has measurements of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") and a weight of 632 grams (1.39 lbs).
Take a look at the Olympus E-600 vs 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 utilising at that time. Following is a front view measurement comparison of the E-600 and the A550.

Using size and weight, the portability grade of the E-600 and A550 is 71 and 63 respectively.

Olympus E-600 vs Sony A550 Sensor Comparison
In many cases, its difficult to imagine the gap in sensor sizing just by researching technical specs. The photograph here should give you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-600 and A550.
As you have seen, the two cameras have different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-600 due to its smaller sensor is going to make achieving bokeh trickier and the Sony A550 will render greater detail having its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also let you crop photos a bit more aggressively.

Olympus E-600 vs Sony A550 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-600 vs Sony A550 Specifications
Olympus E-600 | Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Brand | Olympus | Sony |
Model | Olympus E-600 | Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 |
Category | Entry-Level DSLR | Entry-Level DSLR |
Introduced | 2009-08-30 | 2009-12-09 |
Body design | Compact SLR | Compact SLR |
Sensor Information | ||
Processor | TruePic III+ | Bionz |
Sensor type | CMOS | CMOS |
Sensor size | Four Thirds | APS-C |
Sensor dimensions | 17.3 x 13mm | 23.4 x 15.6mm |
Sensor area | 224.9mm² | 365.0mm² |
Sensor resolution | 12 megapixels | 14 megapixels |
Anti aliasing filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 4:3 | 3:2 and 16:9 |
Max resolution | 4032 x 3024 | 4592 x 3056 |
Max native ISO | 3200 | 12800 |
Min native ISO | 100 | 200 |
RAW pictures | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Manual focus | ||
Autofocus touch | ||
Autofocus continuous | ||
Single autofocus | ||
Tracking autofocus | ||
Autofocus selectice | ||
Autofocus center weighted | ||
Multi area autofocus | ||
Live view autofocus | ||
Face detect autofocus | ||
Contract detect autofocus | ||
Phase detect autofocus | ||
Number of focus points | 7 | 9 |
Lens | ||
Lens mounting type | Micro Four Thirds | Sony/Minolta Alpha |
Available lenses | 45 | 143 |
Focal length multiplier | 2.1 | 1.5 |
Screen | ||
Range of display | Fully Articulated | Tilting |
Display size | 2.7" | 3" |
Display resolution | 230k dot | 922k dot |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch operation | ||
Display technology | HyperCrystal LCD | - |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder | Optical (pentamirror) | Optical (pentamirror) |
Viewfinder coverage | 95 percent | 95 percent |
Viewfinder magnification | 0.48x | 0.53x |
Features | ||
Min shutter speed | 60 secs | 30 secs |
Max shutter speed | 1/4000 secs | 1/4000 secs |
Continuous shutter speed | 4.0 frames/s | 7.0 frames/s |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Expose Manually | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
Change white balance | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Inbuilt flash | ||
Flash range | 12.00 m | 12.00 m |
Flash options | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Front curtain, Rear curtain, Fill-in, Manual | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless |
Hot shoe | ||
AE bracketing | ||
White balance bracketing | ||
Max flash sync | 1/180 secs | 1/160 secs |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment | ||
Average | ||
Spot | ||
Partial | ||
AF area | ||
Center weighted | ||
Video features | ||
Max video resolution | None | None |
Mic jack | ||
Headphone jack | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | None | None |
Bluetooth | ||
NFC | ||
HDMI | ||
USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
GPS | None | None |
Physical | ||
Environmental seal | ||
Water proof | ||
Dust proof | ||
Shock proof | ||
Crush proof | ||
Freeze proof | ||
Weight | 515 gr (1.14 lbs) | 632 gr (1.39 lbs) |
Physical dimensions | 130 x 94 x 60mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.4") | 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO Overall score | 55 | 66 |
DXO Color Depth score | 21.5 | 21.9 |
DXO Dynamic range score | 10.3 | 11.8 |
DXO Low light score | 541 | 807 |
Other | ||
Battery life | 500 shots | 480 shots |
Type of battery | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
Battery model | BLS-1 | NP-FM500H |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes (2 or 10 sec) |
Time lapse feature | ||
Type of storage | Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card | SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo |
Storage slots | One | One |
Retail cost | $0 | $749 |