Olympus E-P2 vs Sony A550

Following is a thorough review of the Olympus E-P2 versus Sony A550, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. The sensor resolution of the E-P2 (12MP) and the A550 (14MP) is relatively comparable but the E-P2 (Four Thirds) and A550 (APS-C) come with totally different sensor measurements.

Photography Glossary

The E-P2 was manufactured 5 months after the A550 and they are of a similar age. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-P2 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A550 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before going through a in depth comparison, below is a quick synopsis of how the E-P2 scores versus the A550 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus PEN E-P2 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A550. The entire galleries are available at Olympus E-P2 Gallery & Sony A550 Gallery.

When you are aiming to carry around your camera often, you'll need to take into account its weight and size. The Olympus E-P2 has outer dimensions of 121mm x 70mm x 36mm (4.8" x 2.8" x 1.4") accompanied by a weight of 355 grams (0.78 lbs) whilst the Sony A550 has specifications of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") with a weight of 632 grams (1.39 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-P2 versus Sony A550 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you have attached at that time. Below is the front view dimensions comparison of the E-P2 compared to the A550.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-P2 and A550 is 86 and 63 respectively.

Sometimes, it's difficult to see the gap in sensor sizes only by going through a spec sheet. The image below will provide you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the E-P2 and A550.

As you can see, both cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The E-P2 featuring a smaller sensor will make achieving shallower depth of field trickier and the Sony A550 will produce greater detail due to its extra 2MP. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop photographs much more aggressively.