Olympus E-PL1 vs Sony W550

Its time to look more closely at the Olympus E-PL1 and Sony W550, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Ultracompact by rivals Olympus and Sony. The sensor resolution of the E-PL1 (12MP) and the W550 (14MP) is very close but the E-PL1 (Four Thirds) and W550 (1/2.3") enjoy different sensor size.

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The E-PL1 was brought out 14 months earlier than the W550 making the cameras a generation away from each other. Both cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-PL1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony W550 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before diving in to a detailed comparison, below is a brief synopsis of how the E-PL1 matches up vs the W550 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus PEN E-PL1 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W550. The entire galleries are viewable at Olympus E-PL1 Gallery & Sony W550 Gallery.

In case you're intending to carry around your camera frequently, you will want to think about its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-PL1 provides exterior measurements of 115mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") and a weight of 334 grams (0.74 lbs) whilst the Sony W550 has measurements of 94mm x 56mm x 19mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.7") with a weight of 110 grams (0.24 lbs).

See the Olympus E-PL1 and Sony W550 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you have attached at the time. Here is the front view dimensions comparison of the E-PL1 versus the W550.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL1 and W550 is 86 and 96 respectively.

Usually, it can be tough to imagine the gap in sensor sizes purely by researching specs. The pic underneath may give you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the E-PL1 and W550.

As you can plainly see, both of these cameras offer different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The E-PL1 because of its larger sensor is going to make achieving bokeh less difficult and the Sony W550 will result in extra detail having its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also let you crop pics a little more aggressively. The more aged E-PL1 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.