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Olympus E-620 vs Sony A550

Portability
71
Imaging
47
Features
50
Overall
48
Olympus E-620 front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 front
Portability
63
Imaging
54
Features
65
Overall
58

Olympus E-620 vs Sony A550 Key Specs

Olympus E-620
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.7" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 500g - 130 x 94 x 60mm
  • Announced July 2009
Sony A550
(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
  • Revealed December 2009
  • Superseded the Sony A100
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Olympus E-620 vs Sony A550 Overview

Here, we are reviewing the Olympus E-620 versus Sony A550, both Entry-Level DSLR cameras by rivals Olympus and Sony. The resolution of the E-620 (12MP) and the A550 (14MP) is very close but the E-620 (Four Thirds) and A550 (APS-C) have different sensor sizes.

Photography Glossary

The E-620 was released 5 months before the A550 so they are both of a similar age. Each of these cameras feature the same body design (Compact SLR).

Before delving straight to a in depth comparison, here is a simple view of how the E-620 scores versus the A550 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-620 over the Sony A550

 E-620 A550 
Display typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating display
Selfie screen Take selfies

Reasons to pick Sony A550 over the Olympus E-620

 A550 E-620 
Display size3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution922k230kClearer display (+692k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-620 and Sony A550

 E-620 A550 
RevealedJuly 2009December 2009Same age
Manually focus Very precise focusing
Touch friendly display Missing Touch friendly display

Olympus E-620 vs Sony A550 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is looking to lug around your camera frequently, you'll need to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-620 comes with exterior dimensions of 130mm x 94mm x 60mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.4") with a weight of 500 grams (1.10 lbs) while the Sony A550 has dimensions of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") having a weight of 632 grams (1.39 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-620 versus Sony A550 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you are utilizing during that time. Here is a front view size comparison of the E-620 versus the A550.

Olympus E-620 vs Sony A550 size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability score of the E-620 and A550 is 71 and 63 respectively.

Olympus E-620 vs Sony A550 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-620 vs Sony A550 Sensor Comparison

In many cases, it is tough to picture the contrast in sensor measurements purely by viewing a spec sheet. The photograph below might offer you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-620 and A550.

Clearly, each of these cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-620 because of its smaller sensor is going to make achieving shallow depth of field more difficult and the Sony A550 will render more detail as a result of its extra 2MP. Greater resolution can also let you crop pics a good deal more aggressively.

Olympus E-620 vs Sony A550 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-620 vs Sony A550 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-620 vs Sony A550 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-620 Portrait photography info
Sony A550 Portrait photography info
60
focusing manually
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides face detection autofocus
delivers RAW files
low MP (12 megapixels)
72
manual focus
resolution is good (14 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
offers face detection focusing
exports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-620 Street photography advice
Sony A550 Street photography advice
76
fully articulated screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
74
screen tilts
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-620 Sports photography info
Sony A550 Sports photography info
48
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
has phase detect autofocus
slow fps (4.0 fps)
low MP (12MP)
not so great battery life (500 CIPA)
67
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (14MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
has phase detect AF
not so great battery power (480 per charge)
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-620
Travel photography with Sony A550
53
flash built-in
selfie friendly display
missing Time Lapse mode
not so great battery life (500 CIPA)
low MP (12MP)
52
resolution is good (14 megapixels)
has built in flash
does not have Time Lapse recording
not so great battery power (480 per charge)
display is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-620 Landscape photography features
Sony A550 Landscape photography features
53
focusing manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
small screen (2.7 inch)
low MP (12MP)
not so great battery life (500 CIPA)
missing Time Lapse mode
66
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (14MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
not so great battery power (480 CIPA)
does not have Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-620 Vlogging factors
Sony A550 Vlogging factors
18
no video
9
no video
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Olympus E-620 vs Sony A550 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-620 and Sony A550
 Olympus E-620Sony Alpha DSLR-A550
General Information
Make Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus E-620 Sony Alpha DSLR-A550
Type Entry-Level DSLR Entry-Level DSLR
Announced 2009-07-06 2009-12-09
Physical type Compact SLR Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Chip 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 surface area 224.9mm² 365.0mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 14 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4032 x 3024 4592 x 3056
Highest native ISO 3200 12800
Min native ISO 100 200
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Total focus points 7 9
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds Sony/Minolta Alpha
Amount of lenses 45 143
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1.5
Screen
Display type Fully Articulated Tilting
Display diagonal 2.7" 3"
Resolution of display 230k dots 922k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Display technology HyperCrystal LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent 95 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.48x 0.53x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shooting rate 4.0 frames/s 7.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 12.00 m 12.00 m
Flash settings 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
Highest flash synchronize 1/180 secs 1/160 secs
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Highest video resolution None None
Mic support
Headphone support
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 sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 500g (1.10 lb) 632g (1.39 lb)
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 All around rating 55 66
DXO Color Depth rating 21.3 21.9
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.3 11.8
DXO Low light rating 536 807
Other
Battery life 500 shots 480 shots
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLS-1 NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots Single Single
Price at launch $799 $749