Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus 550WP

Its time to take a deeper look at the Olympus E-M1 and Olympus 550WP, one being a Pro Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Compact and both are offered by Olympus. There is a huge difference between the image resolutions of the E-M1 (16MP) and 550WP (10MP) and the E-M1 (Four Thirds) and 550WP (1/2.3") offer totally different sensor sizes.

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The E-M1 was announced 4 years later than the 550WP and that is quite a significant gap as far as tech is concerned. Each of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-M1 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus 550WP being a Compact camera.

Before diving right into a full comparison, here is a quick introduction of how the E-M1 grades versus the 550WP with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus OM-D E-M1 and Olympus Stylus 550WP. The whole galleries are provided at Olympus E-M1 Gallery and Olympus 550WP Gallery.

If you are going to lug around your camera regularly, you are going to need to consider its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-M1 comes with external dimensions of 130mm x 94mm x 63mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.5") and a weight of 497 grams (1.10 lbs) while the Olympus 550WP has measurements of 94mm x 62mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.4" x 0.9") and a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-M1 and Olympus 550WP in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you are employing at the time. Below is a front view physical size comparison of the E-M1 against the 550WP.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability rating of the E-M1 and 550WP is 71 and 94 respectively.

Oftentimes, it is difficult to visualise the gap between sensor measurements merely by reading through specs. The photograph underneath will help give you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-M1 and 550WP.

All in all, the two cameras feature different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-M1 using its larger sensor will make getting shallow DOF easier and the Olympus E-M1 will resolve greater detail with its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also allow you to crop photos way more aggressively. The more modern E-M1 is going to have an advantage in sensor technology.