Olympus E-M5 vs Sony W550

Below, we will be reviewing the Olympus E-M5 vs Sony W550, former is a Advanced Mirrorless while the latter is a Ultracompact by competitors Olympus and Sony. The sensor resolution of the E-M5 (16MP) and the W550 (14MP) is relatively comparable but the E-M5 (Four Thirds) and W550 (1/2.3") feature different sensor size.

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The E-M5 was revealed 10 months after the W550 which means that they are of a similar age. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-M5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony W550 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before diving straight into a detailed comparison, below is a short highlight of how the E-M5 grades against the W550 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus OM-D E-M5 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W550. The full galleries are viewable at Olympus E-M5 Gallery & Sony W550 Gallery.

If you're planning to travel with your camera, you should consider its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-M5 has got 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 Sony W550 has measurements of 94mm x 56mm x 19mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.7") accompanied by a weight of 110 grams (0.24 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-M5 vs Sony W550 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you are utilizing at that time. The following is the front view measurements comparison of the E-M5 versus the W550.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-M5 and W550 is 81 and 96 respectively.

Normally, it can be difficult to imagine the gap in sensor dimensions only by seeing technical specs. The image below should offer you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-M5 and W550.

As you can tell, each of the cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The E-M5 using its bigger sensor is going to make achieving shallower depth of field simpler and the Olympus E-M5 will show greater detail because of its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop shots much more aggressively. The more recent E-M5 should have a benefit when it comes to sensor tech.