Olympus E-M5 vs Sony A550

Lets examine more closely at the Olympus E-M5 and Sony A550, one is a Advanced Mirrorless and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by rivals Olympus and Sony. The sensor resolution of the E-M5 (16MP) and the A550 (14MP) is fairly similar but the E-M5 (Four Thirds) and A550 (APS-C) come with totally different sensor sizes.

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The E-M5 was revealed 2 years after the A550 which is quite a significant gap as far as technology is concerned. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-M5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A550 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before getting in to a detailed comparison, below is a quick summary of how the E-M5 grades versus the A550 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus OM-D E-M5 and Sony Alpha DSLR-A550. The full galleries are provided at Olympus E-M5 Gallery and Sony A550 Gallery.

When you are aiming to travel with your camera often, you will want to consider its weight and size. The Olympus E-M5 offers external measurements of 122mm x 89mm x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") accompanied by a weight of 425 grams (0.94 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).

Take a look at the Olympus E-M5 and Sony A550 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you select at that time. The following is the front view sizing comparison of the E-M5 against the A550.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-M5 and A550 is 81 and 63 respectively.

Sometimes, it can be tough to envision the difference between sensor dimensions purely by reviewing specs. The picture underneath should give you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the E-M5 and A550.

As you can plainly see, both of the cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The E-M5 having a tinier sensor will make shooting bokeh more difficult and the Olympus E-M5 will offer you more detail because of its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop pics somewhat more aggressively. The younger E-M5 will have a benefit with regard to sensor technology.