Olympus E-M10 IV vs Sony A550

Here, we will be looking at the Olympus E-M10 IV vs Sony A550, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by competitors Olympus and Sony. There is a considerable difference between the resolutions of the E-M10 IV (20MP) and A550 (14MP) and the E-M10 IV (Four Thirds) and A550 (APS-C) offer different sensor sizing.

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The E-M10 IV was released 10 years later than the A550 and that is quite a large difference as far as tech is concerned. Each of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-M10 IV being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A550 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before going right into a complete comparison, here is a short summary of how the E-M10 IV scores against the A550 for portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Below is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus OM-D E-M10 IV & Sony Alpha DSLR-A550. The complete galleries are viewable at Olympus E-M10 IV Gallery & Sony A550 Gallery.

If you're planning to carry your camera, you're going to have to factor its weight and size. The Olympus E-M10 IV enjoys physical dimensions of 122mm x 84mm x 49mm (4.8" x 3.3" x 1.9") and a weight of 383 grams (0.84 lbs) whilst the Sony A550 has specifications of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") along with a weight of 632 grams (1.39 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-M10 IV vs Sony A550 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you have attached at the time. Below is a front view overall size comparison of the E-M10 IV versus the A550.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability grade of the E-M10 IV and A550 is 81 and 63 respectively.

In many cases, its difficult to imagine the gap between sensor sizing just by looking at technical specs. The photograph below will help provide you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-M10 IV and A550.

As you can tell, each of the cameras feature different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The E-M10 IV due to its tinier sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field more challenging and the Olympus E-M10 IV will give you greater detail as a result of its extra 6MP. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop pictures way more aggressively. The more modern E-M10 IV should have an advantage in sensor innovation.