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Olympus E-PL2 vs Olympus 550WP

Portability
85
Imaging
48
Features
47
Overall
47
Olympus PEN E-PL2 front
 
Olympus Stylus 550WP front
Portability
94
Imaging
33
Features
17
Overall
26

Olympus E-PL2 vs Olympus 550WP Key Specs

Olympus E-PL2
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 362g - 114 x 72 x 42mm
  • Launched February 2011
  • Superseded the Olympus E-PL1s
  • Refreshed by Olympus E-PL3
Olympus 550WP
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Display
  • ISO 64 - 1600
  • Digital Image Stabilization
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 38-114mm (F3.5-5.0) lens
  • 167g - 94 x 62 x 22mm
  • Introduced January 2009
  • Additionally referred to as mju 550WP
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Olympus E-PL2 vs Olympus 550WP Overview

The following is a extensive analysis of the Olympus E-PL2 vs Olympus 550WP, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Compact and both are built by Olympus. The resolution of the E-PL2 (12MP) and the 550WP (10MP) is fairly well matched but the E-PL2 (Four Thirds) and 550WP (1/2.3") possess different sensor sizes.

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The E-PL2 was unveiled 2 years after the 550WP which is quite a significant gap as far as technology is concerned. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL2 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus 550WP being a Compact camera.

Before going through a comprehensive comparison, below is a concise overview of how the E-PL2 grades versus the 550WP when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL2 over the Olympus 550WP

 E-PL2 550WP 
IntroducedFebruary 2011January 2009Newer by 26 months
Focus manually Very precise focus
Display dimension3"2.5"Larger display (+0.5")
Display resolution460k230kSharper display (+230k dot)

Reasons to pick Olympus 550WP over the Olympus E-PL2

 550WP E-PL2 

Common features in the Olympus E-PL2 and Olympus 550WP

 E-PL2 550WP 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Neither features selfie screen
Touch display Neither features Touch display

Olympus E-PL2 vs Olympus 550WP Physical Comparison

If you're intending to travel with your camera often, you need to think about its weight and size. The Olympus E-PL2 enjoys exterior measurements of 114mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") along with a weight of 362 grams (0.80 lbs) whilst the Olympus 550WP has specifications of 94mm x 62mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.4" x 0.9") and a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-PL2 vs Olympus 550WP in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you are employing at that moment. The following is the front view physical size comparison of the E-PL2 compared to the 550WP.

Olympus E-PL2 vs Olympus 550WP size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-PL2 and 550WP is 85 and 94 respectively.

Olympus E-PL2 vs Olympus 550WP top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL2 vs Olympus 550WP Sensor Comparison

Typically, it's tough to visualize the contrast between sensor dimensions merely by checking technical specs. The pic below will help provide you a greater sense of the sensor measurements in the E-PL2 and 550WP.

As you can tell, the 2 cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The E-PL2 having a larger sensor is going to make getting shallower DOF simpler and the Olympus E-PL2 will give you greater detail having an extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will enable you to crop photos much more aggressively. The newer E-PL2 should have an advantage in sensor technology.

Olympus E-PL2 vs Olympus 550WP sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL2 vs Olympus 550WP Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL2 vs Olympus 550WP Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 Portrait photography factors
Olympus 550WP Portrait photography factors
60
focusing manually
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
offers face detect focus
saves RAW files
sensor resolution low (12MP)
19
manual focus not available
lack of manual mode
no external flash support
low resolution sensor (10 megapixels)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-PL2
Street photography with Olympus 550WP
73
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
fixed screen
61
built in image stabilization (Digital)
weather sealing
no articulating screen
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-PL2
Sports photography with Olympus 550WP
45
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
offers tracking focus
painfully slow continuous shooting (3.0 fps)
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
terrible battery (280 CIPA)
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
30
built in image stabilization (Digital)
weather sealing
max shutter speed is low (1/1,000s)
no shutter priority
low resolution sensor (10MP)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-PL2
Travel photography with Olympus 550WP
51
built-in flash
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
terrible battery (280 CIPA)
sensor resolution low (12MP)
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
55
weather sealing
flash built-in
doesn't have Timelapse mode
low resolution sensor (10 megapixels)
screen is not selfie friendly
wide angle not fantastic (38mm)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 Landscape photography features
Olympus 550WP Landscape photography features
61
focusing manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
sensor resolution low (12MP)
terrible battery (280 per charge)
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
30
built in image stabilization (Digital)
weather sealing
manual focus not available
can't swap lenses (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not fantastic (38mm)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
screen is somewhat small (2.5")
lack of manual mode
low resolution sensor (10 megapixels)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
doesn't have Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 Vlogging info
Olympus 550WP Vlogging info
29
image stabilization (Sensor based)
offers face detect focus
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
low quality video (1280 x 720 resolution)
doesn't have mic jack
25
built in image stabilization (Digital)
wide angle not fantastic (38mm)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
screen is not selfie friendly
low video resolution (640 x 480 resolution)
doesn't have external microphone socket
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Olympus E-PL2 vs Olympus 550WP Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL2 and Olympus 550WP
 Olympus PEN E-PL2Olympus Stylus 550WP
General Information
Brand Olympus Olympus
Model type Olympus PEN E-PL2 Olympus Stylus 550WP
Also referred to as - mju 550WP
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Launched 2011-02-11 2009-01-07
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Chip Truepic V -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 10 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 16:9, 4:3 and 3:2
Peak resolution 4032 x 3024 3648 x 2736
Highest native ISO 6400 1600
Min native ISO 100 64
RAW images
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Total focus points 11 -
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 38-114mm (3.0x)
Maximum aperture - f/3.5-5.0
Macro focusing range - 7cm
Amount of lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.9
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3 inch 2.5 inch
Resolution of screen 460k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Screen tech HyperCrystal LCD AR(Anti-Reflective) coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) None
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 seconds 4 seconds
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/1000 seconds
Continuous shutter rate 3.0 frames per second -
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 10.00 m -
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, Fill-in, Red-Eye reduction, Off, On
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize 1/160 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps)
Highest video resolution 1280x720 640x480
Video data format Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 362 grams (0.80 lbs) 167 grams (0.37 lbs)
Dimensions 114 x 72 x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") 94 x 62 x 22mm (3.7" x 2.4" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 55 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 21.4 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.2 not tested
DXO Low light rating 573 not tested
Other
Battery life 280 photos -
Battery type Battery Pack -
Battery ID BLS-5 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (12 seconds)
Time lapse shooting
Storage type SD/SDHC xD-Picture Card, microSD, internal
Card slots One One
Launch pricing $0 $399