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Olympus E-M10 III vs Sony A550

Portability
80
Imaging
55
Features
75
Overall
63
Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 front
Portability
63
Imaging
54
Features
65
Overall
58

Olympus E-M10 III vs Sony A550 Key Specs

Olympus E-M10 III
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 410g - 122 x 84 x 50mm
  • Released August 2017
  • Replaced the Olympus E-M10 II
  • Later Model is Olympus E-M10 IV
Sony A550
(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
  • Launched December 2009
  • Replaced the Sony A100
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Olympus E-M10 III vs Sony A550 Overview

In this write-up, we will be comparing the Olympus E-M10 III vs Sony A550, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by brands Olympus and Sony. The resolution of the E-M10 III (16MP) and the A550 (14MP) is pretty well matched but the E-M10 III (Four Thirds) and A550 (APS-C) come with different sensor dimensions.

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The E-M10 III was manufactured 7 years after the A550 which is quite a big difference as far as technology is concerned. The two cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-M10 III being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A550 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before delving straight into a comprehensive comparison, below is a concise view of how the E-M10 III grades vs the A550 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M10 III over the Sony A550

 E-M10 III A550 
LaunchedAugust 2017December 2009Newer by 95 months
Screen resolution1040k922kClearer screen (+118k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Sony A550 over the Olympus E-M10 III

 A550 E-M10 III 

Common features in the Olympus E-M10 III and Sony A550

 E-M10 III A550 
Manually focus More exact focusing
Screen typeTiltingTiltingTilting screen
Screen sizing3"3"Equivalent screen sizing
Selfie screen Lack of selfie screen

Olympus E-M10 III vs Sony A550 Physical Comparison

If you are going to travel with your camera frequently, you will need to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-M10 III has exterior measurements of 122mm x 84mm x 50mm (4.8" x 3.3" x 2.0") with a weight of 410 grams (0.90 lbs) whilst the Sony A550 has dimensions of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") accompanied by a weight of 632 grams (1.39 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-M10 III vs Sony A550 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you are employing during that time. Following is the front view scale comparison of the E-M10 III and the A550.

Olympus E-M10 III vs Sony A550 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-M10 III and A550 is 80 and 63 respectively.

Olympus E-M10 III vs Sony A550 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M10 III vs Sony A550 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it's hard to picture the gap between sensor dimensions simply by checking specs. The pic below may provide you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the E-M10 III and A550.

As you can plainly see, the two cameras enjoy different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The E-M10 III featuring a tinier sensor is going to make achieving bokeh tougher and the Olympus E-M10 III will resolve greater detail due to its extra 2MP. Higher resolution can also let you crop photographs far more aggressively. The younger E-M10 III provides a benefit with regard to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-M10 III vs Sony A550 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M10 III vs Sony A550 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M10 III vs Sony A550 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M10 III Portrait photography advice
Sony A550 Portrait photography advice
73
manual focus
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
has face detection autofocus
saves RAW formats
72
focusing manually
good resolution (14MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
has face detect focusing
saves RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M10 III Street photography advice
Sony A550 Street photography advice
77
tilting screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
supports focus by touch
very good high ISO (25,600)
more heavy than average (410g)
74
has a tilting screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M10 III Sports photography features
Sony A550 Sports photography features
69
quiet shooting (1/16,000 seconds)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
has tracking autofocus
no phase detect autofocus
67
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good resolution (14 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
sensor has phase detect AF
not so great battery (480 per charge)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M10 III as a Travel photography camera
Sony A550 as a Travel photography camera
67
supports focus by touch
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
more heavy than average (410 grams)
doesn't contain selfie friendly display
52
good resolution (14MP)
flash built-in
missing Timelapse mode
not so great battery (480 per charge)
display is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M10 III as a Landscape photography camera
Sony A550 as a Landscape photography camera
80
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a good size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
very good high ISO (25,600)
saves RAW formats
66
focusing manually
switch lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good resolution (14 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
not so great battery (480 CIPA)
missing Timelapse mode
Photography Glossary

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M10 III Vlogging info
Sony A550 Vlogging info
32
has touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
has face detection autofocus
high res video (3840 x 2160 pxls)
doesn't contain selfie friendly display
doesn't have external microphone port
more heavy than average (410 grams)
9
no video shooting
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Olympus E-M10 III vs Sony A550 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M10 III and Sony A550
 Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark IIISony Alpha DSLR-A550
General Information
Make Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III Sony Alpha DSLR-A550
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Entry-Level DSLR
Released 2017-08-31 2009-12-09
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic VIII Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor measurements 17.4 x 13mm 23.4 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 226.2mm² 365.0mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 14 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4608 x 3456 4592 x 3056
Highest native ISO 25600 12800
Minimum native ISO 200 200
RAW format
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 detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Total focus points 121 9
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds Sony/Minolta Alpha
Available lenses 107 143
Crop factor 2.1 1.5
Screen
Display type Tilting Tilting
Display diagonal 3" 3"
Resolution of display 1,040k dots 922k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder resolution 2,360k dots -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent 95 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.62x 0.53x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/4000 secs
Maximum quiet shutter speed 1/16000 secs -
Continuous shooting rate 8.6 frames/s 7.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 5.80 m (at ISO 100) 12.00 m
Flash settings Auto, redeye, slow sync, 2nd-curtain slow sync, redeye slow sync, fill-in, manual, off Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/250 secs 1/160 secs
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 PCM -
Highest video resolution 3840x2160 None
Video format MPEG-4, H.264 -
Microphone support
Headphone support
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 410 gr (0.90 lbs) 632 gr (1.39 lbs)
Dimensions 122 x 84 x 50mm (4.8" x 3.3" x 2.0") 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested 66
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 21.9
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 11.8
DXO Low light rating not tested 807
Other
Battery life 330 photos 480 photos
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLS-50 NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I/II supported) SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots 1 1
Cost at launch $650 $749