Olympus E-PL1s vs Sony W550

Below is a extended review of the Olympus E-PL1s versus Sony W550, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Ultracompact by companies Olympus and Sony. The sensor resolution of the E-PL1s (12MP) and the W550 (14MP) is very well matched but the E-PL1s (Four Thirds) and W550 (1/2.3") come with totally different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The E-PL1s was announced 8 months prior to the W550 which means that they are both of a similar age. Both cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-PL1s being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony W550 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before going in to a more detailed comparison, below is a concise overview of how the E-PL1s scores versus the W550 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus PEN E-PL1s & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W550. The whole galleries are viewable at Olympus E-PL1s Gallery & Sony W550 Gallery.

When you are looking to lug around your camera frequently, you will want to consider its weight and size. The Olympus E-PL1s enjoys outer dimensions of 115mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") with a weight of 334 grams (0.74 lbs) while the Sony W550 has specifications of 94mm x 56mm x 19mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.7") along with a weight of 110 grams (0.24 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-PL1s versus Sony W550 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you have chosen at the time. Following is the front view proportions comparison of the E-PL1s versus the W550.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL1s and W550 is 86 and 96 respectively.

In many cases, it is tough to envision the difference between sensor measurements only by reading through specs. The graphic underneath might offer you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL1s and W550.

As you can plainly see, the 2 cameras offer different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-PL1s with its larger sensor will make achieving shallow DOF less difficult and the Sony W550 will resolve extra detail with its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop pics a little more aggressively. The older E-PL1s is going to be disadvantaged in sensor technology.