Clicky

Olympus E-M10 IV vs Sony W550

Portability
81
Imaging
62
Features
83
Overall
70
Olympus OM-D E-M10 IV front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W550 front
Portability
96
Imaging
37
Features
28
Overall
33

Olympus E-M10 IV vs Sony W550 Key Specs

Olympus E-M10 IV
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 383g - 122 x 84 x 49mm
  • Announced August 2020
  • Replaced the Olympus E-M10 III
Sony W550
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 26-104mm (F2.7-5.7) lens
  • 110g - 94 x 56 x 19mm
  • Released July 2011
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

Olympus E-M10 IV vs Sony W550 Overview

On this page, we are evaluating the Olympus E-M10 IV vs Sony W550, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Ultracompact by competitors Olympus and Sony. There is a considerable difference between the image resolutions of the E-M10 IV (20MP) and W550 (14MP) and the E-M10 IV (Four Thirds) and W550 (1/2.3") have different sensor measurements.

President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

The E-M10 IV was launched 9 years later than the W550 and that is quite a large difference as far as tech is concerned. The two cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-M10 IV being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony W550 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before getting straight to a in depth comparison, here is a simple synopsis of how the E-M10 IV scores against the W550 for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus E-M10 IV over the Sony W550

 E-M10 IV W550 
ReleasedAugust 2020July 2011More recent by 110 months
Manually focus Dial exact focusing
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display resolution1040k230kSharper display (+810k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Sony W550 over the Olympus E-M10 IV

 W550 E-M10 IV 

Common features in the Olympus E-M10 IV and Sony W550

 E-M10 IV W550 
Display dimensions3"3"Equal display measurements

Olympus E-M10 IV vs Sony W550 Physical Comparison

When you are going to lug around your camera regularly, you'll need to think about its weight and size. The Olympus E-M10 IV has got physical dimensions of 122mm x 84mm x 49mm (4.8" x 3.3" x 1.9") with a weight of 383 grams (0.84 lbs) whilst the Sony W550 has specifications of 94mm x 56mm x 19mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.7") with a weight of 110 grams (0.24 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-M10 IV vs Sony W550 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you choose at the time. Below is a front view dimension comparison of the E-M10 IV against the W550.

Olympus E-M10 IV vs Sony W550 size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability rating of the E-M10 IV and W550 is 81 and 96 respectively.

Olympus E-M10 IV vs Sony W550 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M10 IV vs Sony W550 Sensor Comparison

In many cases, it can be hard to picture the difference between sensor measurements only by reviewing technical specs. The photograph below will help offer you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-M10 IV and W550.

As you have seen, both the cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-M10 IV featuring a larger sensor is going to make achieving shallower DOF easier and the Olympus E-M10 IV will offer you extra detail utilizing its extra 6MP. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop images a bit more aggressively. The more recent E-M10 IV should have an advantage with regard to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-M10 IV vs Sony W550 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M10 IV vs Sony W550 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M10 IV vs Sony W550 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M10 IV Portrait photography info
Sony W550 Portrait photography info
77
has manual focus
megapixel count good (20 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
includes face detection autofocus
saves RAW files
28
MP count decent (14 megapixels)
focusing manually not possible
no manual control
cannot use external flash
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Street Comparison

Olympus E-M10 IV Street photography details
Sony W550 Street photography details
84
screen tilts up and down
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
provides touch to focus
good high ISO (25,600)
57
image stabilization (Optical)
no articulating screen
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M10 IV as a Sports photography camera
Sony W550 as a Sports photography camera
72
quiet mode (1/16,000 seconds)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
megapixel count good (20 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
includes tracking autofocus
no phase detect autofocus
35
image stabilization (Optical)
MP count decent (14 megapixels)
low frames per second (1.0 fps)
lack of shutter priority mode
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect autofocus
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-M10 IV
Travel photography with Sony W550
84
supports bluetooth
provides touch to focus
megapixel count good (20 megapixels)
built-in flash
display is selfie friendly
65
MP count decent (14 megapixels)
has built in flash
pretty wide (26mm)
doesn't have Timelapse function
screen is not selfie friendly
sluggish max aperture (f2.7)
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-M10 IV
Landscape photography with Sony W550
82
has manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
megapixel count good (20MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
good high ISO (25,600)
saves RAW files
42
pretty wide (26mm)
screen is a decent size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Optical)
MP count decent (14MP)
focusing manually not possible
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f2.7)
no manual control
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
doesn't have Timelapse function
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M10 IV Vlogging highlights
Sony W550 Vlogging highlights
78
display is selfie friendly
touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
includes face detection autofocus
high res video (3840 x 2160 resolution)
does not have external microphone jack
29
pretty wide (26mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
sluggish max aperture (f2.7)
screen is not selfie friendly
video res low (1280 x 720 pixels)
doesn't have microphone socket
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

Olympus E-M10 IV vs Sony W550 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M10 IV and Sony W550
 Olympus OM-D E-M10 IVSony Cyber-shot DSC-W550
General Information
Brand Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus OM-D E-M10 IV Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W550
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Ultracompact
Announced 2020-08-04 2011-07-24
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic VIII BIONZ
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.4 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 226.2mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 20 megapixel 14 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3 and 16:9
Highest resolution 5184 x 3888 4320 x 3240
Highest native ISO 25600 3200
Minimum native ISO 200 80
RAW support
Minimum boosted ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Total focus points 121 9
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 26-104mm (4.0x)
Maximum aperture - f/2.7-5.7
Macro focusing distance - 5cm
Total lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.8
Screen
Type of screen Tilting Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3 inches 3 inches
Screen resolution 1,040 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Screen tech - Clear Photo LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 2,360 thousand dots -
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.62x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 seconds 2 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/1600 seconds
Highest silent shutter speed 1/16000 seconds -
Continuous shooting rate 8.7 frames/s 1.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 7.20 m (at ISO 200) 3.80 m
Flash settings Redeye, fill-in, off, redeye slow-sync (1st-curtain), slow sync (1st-curtain), slow sync (2nd-curtain), manual Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/250 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 102 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM3840 x 2160 @ 25p / 102 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM3840 x 2160 @ 24p / 102 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 60p / 52 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 50p / 52 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 30p / 52 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 25p / 52 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 24p / 52 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 3840x2160 1280x720
Video format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4
Microphone 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
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 383 gr (0.84 lbs) 110 gr (0.24 lbs)
Physical dimensions 122 x 84 x 49mm (4.8" x 3.3" x 1.9") 94 x 56 x 19mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.7")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 360 photographs -
Style of battery Battery Pack -
Battery ID BLS-50 NP-BN1
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-II supported) SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Duo/Memory Stick Pro Duo, Memory Stick Pro-HG Duo
Card slots One -
Pricing at launch $699 $119