Olympus E-M5 vs Olympus 550WP

Lets look more closely at the Olympus E-M5 versus Olympus 550WP, former is a Advanced Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact and they are both produced by Olympus. There is a noticeable difference between the resolutions of the E-M5 (16MP) and 550WP (10MP) and the E-M5 (Four Thirds) and 550WP (1/2.3") have totally different sensor sizing.

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The E-M5 was announced 3 years after the 550WP which is quite a sizable difference as far as tech is concerned. Both cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-M5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus 550WP being a Compact camera.

Before going straight to a more detailed comparison, here is a short highlight of how the E-M5 grades vs the 550WP with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

This is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus OM-D E-M5 & Olympus Stylus 550WP. The whole galleries are viewable at Olympus E-M5 Gallery & Olympus 550WP Gallery.

If you're intending to travel with your camera often, you will have to consider its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-M5 features outer measurements of 122mm x 89mm x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") with a weight of 425 grams (0.94 lbs) while the Olympus 550WP has measurements of 94mm x 62mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.4" x 0.9") having a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-M5 versus Olympus 550WP 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 that time. Here is a front view measurements comparison of the E-M5 versus the 550WP.

Considering size and weight, the portability grade of the E-M5 and 550WP is 81 and 94 respectively.

Generally, it's difficult to envision the gap between sensor dimensions purely by checking specifications. The pic below should provide you a clearer sense of the sensor measurements in the E-M5 and 550WP.

To sum up, both of these cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The E-M5 using its bigger sensor will make shooting shallow DOF less difficult and the Olympus E-M5 will resolve greater detail with its extra 6MP. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop pictures a bit more aggressively. The fresher E-M5 is going to have a benefit with regard to sensor technology.