Olympus E-600 vs Sony A550

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.

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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.

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.

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.

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.