Olympus FE-45 vs Sony A550

Below, we are matching up the Olympus FE-45 vs Sony A550, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by rivals Olympus and Sony. There exists a crucial gap among the resolutions of the FE-45 (10MP) and A550 (14MP) and the FE-45 (1/2.3") and A550 (APS-C) enjoy totally different sensor measurements.

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The FE-45 was manufactured 11 months earlier than the A550 and they are both of a similar generation. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus FE-45 being a Compact camera and the Sony A550 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before getting through a detailed comparison, below is a simple overview of how the FE-45 matches up versus the A550 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Here is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus FE-45 and Sony Alpha DSLR-A550. The entire galleries are available at Olympus FE-45 Gallery and Sony A550 Gallery.

When you are aiming to carry your camera often, you will need to factor in its weight and volume. The Olympus FE-45 comes with physical measurements of 94mm x 62mm x 23mm (3.7" x 2.4" x 0.9") and a weight of 142 grams (0.31 lbs) and the Sony A550 has sizing of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") with a weight of 632 grams (1.39 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus FE-45 vs Sony A550 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you select at that time. Underneath is the front view overall size comparison of the FE-45 and the A550.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the FE-45 and A550 is 95 and 63 respectively.

Typically, its hard to visualise the gap in sensor sizing just by viewing technical specs. The visual below might offer you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the FE-45 and A550.

As you have seen, both cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The FE-45 featuring a smaller sensor will make achieving shallow DOF more challenging and the Sony A550 will provide you with extra detail due to its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will allow you to crop images much more aggressively. The older FE-45 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.