Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A550
71 Imaging
53 Features
85 Overall
65
63 Imaging
54 Features
65 Overall
58
Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A550 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
- 3" Tilting Screen
- ISO 100 - 25600
- Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
- 1/8000s Max Shutter
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Micro Four Thirds Mount
- 497g - 130 x 94 x 63mm
- Announced October 2013
- Renewed by Olympus E-M1 II
(Full Review)
- 14MP - APS-C Sensor
- 3" Tilting Screen
- ISO 200 - 12800
- Sensor based Image Stabilization
- No Video
- Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
- 632g - 137 x 104 x 84mm
- Revealed December 2009
- Succeeded the Sony A100
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Its time to look much closer at the Olympus E-M1 and Sony A550, former being a Pro Mirrorless while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Olympus and Sony. The sensor resolution of the E-M1 (16MP) and the A550 (14MP) is pretty similar but the E-M1 (Four Thirds) and A550 (APS-C) feature totally different sensor sizes.
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or banThe E-M1 was revealed 3 years later than the A550 and that is quite a significant difference as far as technology is concerned. Both of these cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-M1 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A550 being a Compact SLR camera.
Before diving through a comprehensive comparison, below is a short overview of how the E-M1 matches up vs the A550 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.
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Following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus OM-D E-M1 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A550. The full galleries are viewable at Olympus E-M1 Gallery & Sony A550 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-M1 over the Sony A550
| E-M1 | A550 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revealed | October 2013 |  | December 2009 | More recent by 48 months |
| Screen resolution | 1037k |  | 922k | Crisper screen (+115k dot) |
| Touch screen |  | Quickly navigate |
Reasons to pick Sony A550 over the Olympus E-M1
| A550 | E-M1 |
|---|
Common features in the Olympus E-M1 and Sony A550
| E-M1 | A550 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manually focus |  | Very accurate focus | ||
| Screen type | Tilting |  | Tilting | Tilting screen |
| Screen sizing | 3" |  | 3" | Equivalent screen dimensions |
| Selfie screen |  | Neither includes selfie screen |
Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A550 Physical Comparison
For anybody who is planning to lug around your camera regularly, you will have to take into account its weight and size. The Olympus E-M1 features external dimensions of 130mm x 94mm x 63mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.5") along with a weight of 497 grams (1.10 lbs) while the Sony A550 has specifications of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") accompanied by a weight of 632 grams (1.39 lbs).
Look at the Olympus E-M1 and Sony A550 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Take into account, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you choose at the time. The following is the front view over all size comparison of the E-M1 vs the A550.
Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-M1 and A550 is 71 and 63 respectively.
Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A550 Sensor Comparison
Sometimes, it can be tough to visualise the gap between sensor measurements simply by going over specifications. The graphic here may provide you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-M1 and A550.
Plainly, both of those cameras offer different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-M1 using its tinier sensor will make getting shallower depth of field more difficult and the Olympus E-M1 will offer extra detail because of its extra 2MP. Higher resolution will also let you crop photographs a little more aggressively. The newer E-M1 will have an advantage when it comes to sensor innovation.
Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A550 Screen and ViewFinder
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Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A550 Specifications
| Olympus OM-D E-M1 | Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 | |
|---|---|---|
| General Information | ||
| Brand Name | Olympus | Sony |
| Model type | Olympus OM-D E-M1 | Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 |
| Type | Pro Mirrorless | Entry-Level DSLR |
| Announced | 2013-10-28 | 2009-12-09 |
| Physical type | SLR-style mirrorless | Compact SLR |
| Sensor Information | ||
| Processor Chip | TruePIC VII | 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 | 16MP | 14MP |
| Anti alias filter | ||
| Aspect ratio | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 | 3:2 and 16:9 |
| Highest Possible resolution | 4608 x 3456 | 4592 x 3056 |
| Maximum native ISO | 25600 | 12800 |
| Min native ISO | 100 | 200 |
| RAW files | ||
| Autofocusing | ||
| Focus manually | ||
| AF touch | ||
| Continuous AF | ||
| Single AF | ||
| AF tracking | ||
| Selective AF | ||
| AF center weighted | ||
| AF multi area | ||
| AF live view | ||
| Face detection focusing | ||
| Contract detection focusing | ||
| Phase detection focusing | ||
| Total focus points | 81 | 9 |
| Lens | ||
| Lens mount type | Micro Four Thirds | Sony/Minolta Alpha |
| Total lenses | 107 | 143 |
| Focal length multiplier | 2.1 | 1.5 |
| Screen | ||
| Type of screen | Tilting | Tilting |
| Screen size | 3 inch | 3 inch |
| Screen resolution | 1,037 thousand dots | 922 thousand dots |
| Selfie friendly | ||
| Liveview | ||
| Touch friendly | ||
| Viewfinder Information | ||
| Viewfinder type | Electronic | Optical (pentamirror) |
| Viewfinder resolution | 2,360 thousand dots | - |
| Viewfinder coverage | 100% | 95% |
| Viewfinder magnification | 0.74x | 0.53x |
| Features | ||
| Min shutter speed | 60 secs | 30 secs |
| Max shutter speed | 1/8000 secs | 1/4000 secs |
| Continuous shutter rate | 10.0 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 | no built-in flash | 12.00 m |
| Flash options | Flash Auto, Redeye, Fill-in, Flash Off, Red-eye Slow sync (1st curtain), Slow sync (1st curtain), Slow sync (2nd curtain), Manual | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless |
| Hot shoe | ||
| AEB | ||
| White balance bracketing | ||
| Max flash synchronize | 1/320 secs | 1/160 secs |
| Exposure | ||
| Multisegment | ||
| Average | ||
| Spot | ||
| Partial | ||
| AF area | ||
| Center weighted | ||
| Video features | ||
| Video resolutions | 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) | - |
| Maximum video resolution | 1920x1080 | None |
| Video file format | H.264, Motion JPEG | - |
| Mic port | ||
| Headphone port | ||
| Connectivity | ||
| Wireless | Built-In | 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 | 497g (1.10 lb) | 632g (1.39 lb) |
| Dimensions | 130 x 94 x 63mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.5") | 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") |
| DXO scores | ||
| DXO Overall rating | 73 | 66 |
| DXO Color Depth rating | 23.0 | 21.9 |
| DXO Dynamic range rating | 12.7 | 11.8 |
| DXO Low light rating | 757 | 807 |
| Other | ||
| Battery life | 350 pictures | 480 pictures |
| Type of battery | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
| Battery ID | BLN-1 | NP-FM500H |
| Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom) | Yes (2 or 10 sec) |
| Time lapse feature | ||
| Type of storage | SD/SDHC/SDXC | SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo |
| Card slots | 1 | 1 |
| Launch price | $799 | $749 |