Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony A550
88 Imaging
52 Features
72 Overall
60


63 Imaging
53 Features
65 Overall
57
Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony A550 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
- 3" Tilting Screen
- ISO 200 - 25600
- Sensor based Image Stabilization
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Micro Four Thirds Mount
- 325g - 111 x 64 x 38mm
- Introduced September 2012
(Full Review)
- 14MP - APS-C Sensor
- 3" Tilting Screen
- ISO 200 - 12800
- Sensor based Image Stabilization
- No Video
- Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
- 632g - 137 x 104 x 84mm
- Introduced December 2009
- Superseded the Sony A100

Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony A550 Overview
Let's look much closer at the Olympus E-PL5 versus Sony A550, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. The image resolution of the E-PL5 (16MP) and the A550 (14MP) is pretty well matched but the E-PL5 (Four Thirds) and A550 (APS-C) posses totally different sensor size.

The E-PL5 was introduced 2 years after the A550 which is quite a sizable gap as far as tech is concerned. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-PL5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A550 being a Compact SLR camera.
Before diving into a comprehensive comparison, here is a brief summary of how the E-PL5 scores vs the A550 for portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony A550 Gallery
The following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus PEN E-PL5 and Sony Alpha DSLR-A550. The whole galleries are available at Olympus E-PL5 Gallery and Sony A550 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL5 over the Sony A550
E-PL5 | A550 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Introduced | September 2012 | ![]() | December 2009 | More modern by 34 months |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Take selfies | ||
Touch friendly screen | ![]() | Quickly navigate |
Reasons to pick Sony A550 over the Olympus E-PL5
A550 | E-PL5 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Screen resolution | 922k | ![]() | 460k | Clearer screen (+462k dot) |
Common features in the Olympus E-PL5 and Sony A550
E-PL5 | A550 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Focus manually | ![]() | Dial exact focus | ||
Screen type | Tilting | ![]() | Tilting | Tilting screen |
Screen size | 3" | ![]() | 3" | Same screen size |
Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony A550 Physical Comparison
When you are intending to carry around your camera, you'll need to factor in its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-PL5 has external measurements of 111mm x 64mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") along with a weight of 325 grams (0.72 lbs) whilst the Sony A550 has proportions of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") having a weight of 632 grams (1.39 lbs).
See the Olympus E-PL5 versus Sony A550 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you have chosen at that moment. Underneath is a front view physical size comparison of the E-PL5 compared to the A550.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL5 and A550 is 88 and 63 respectively.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony A550 Sensor Comparison
Generally, it is very tough to see the difference between sensor sizes purely by checking a spec sheet. The pic here will offer you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-PL5 and A550.
Clearly, both of those cameras feature different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The E-PL5 having a tinier sensor will make achieving shallow DOF trickier and the Olympus E-PL5 will resolve more detail using its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will enable you to crop shots way more aggressively. The newer E-PL5 is going to have a benefit in sensor tech.

Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony A550 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony A550 Specifications
Olympus PEN E-PL5 | Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Make | Olympus | Sony |
Model | Olympus PEN E-PL5 | Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 |
Category | Entry-Level Mirrorless | Entry-Level DSLR |
Introduced | 2012-09-17 | 2009-12-09 |
Body design | Rangefinder-style mirrorless | Compact SLR |
Sensor Information | ||
Powered by | - | Bionz |
Sensor type | CMOS | CMOS |
Sensor size | Four Thirds | APS-C |
Sensor dimensions | 17.3 x 13mm | 23.4 x 15.6mm |
Sensor surface area | 224.9mm² | 365.0mm² |
Sensor resolution | 16MP | 14MP |
Anti aliasing filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 4:3 | 3:2 and 16:9 |
Peak resolution | 4608 x 3456 | 4592 x 3056 |
Highest native ISO | 25600 | 12800 |
Minimum native ISO | 200 | 200 |
RAW data | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
Touch to focus | ||
Continuous AF | ||
AF single | ||
Tracking AF | ||
AF selectice | ||
Center weighted AF | ||
AF multi area | ||
Live view AF | ||
Face detection focusing | ||
Contract detection focusing | ||
Phase detection focusing | ||
Number of focus points | 35 | 9 |
Lens | ||
Lens mount | Micro Four Thirds | Sony/Minolta Alpha |
Number of lenses | 107 | 143 |
Crop factor | 2.1 | 1.5 |
Screen | ||
Range of screen | Tilting | Tilting |
Screen diagonal | 3 inch | 3 inch |
Resolution of screen | 460k dot | 922k dot |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch function | ||
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder type | Electronic (optional) | Optical (pentamirror) |
Viewfinder coverage | - | 95 percent |
Viewfinder magnification | - | 0.53x |
Features | ||
Minimum shutter speed | 60 secs | 30 secs |
Fastest shutter speed | 1/4000 secs | 1/4000 secs |
Continuous shutter speed | 8.0 frames per sec | 7.0 frames per sec |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manually set exposure | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
Custom WB | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Integrated flash | ||
Flash range | 7.00 m (bundled FL-LM1) | 12.00 m |
Flash options | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless |
External flash | ||
Auto exposure bracketing | ||
White balance bracketing | ||
Fastest flash sync | 1/250 secs | 1/160 secs |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment metering | ||
Average metering | ||
Spot metering | ||
Partial metering | ||
AF area metering | ||
Center weighted metering | ||
Video features | ||
Supported video resolutions | 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) | - |
Highest video resolution | 1920x1080 | None |
Video data format | MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG | - |
Mic jack | ||
Headphone jack | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | Eye-Fi Connected | None |
Bluetooth | ||
NFC | ||
HDMI | ||
USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
GPS | None | None |
Physical | ||
Environment seal | ||
Water proof | ||
Dust proof | ||
Shock proof | ||
Crush proof | ||
Freeze proof | ||
Weight | 325 grams (0.72 lb) | 632 grams (1.39 lb) |
Physical dimensions | 111 x 64 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") | 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO Overall score | 72 | 66 |
DXO Color Depth score | 22.8 | 21.9 |
DXO Dynamic range score | 12.3 | 11.8 |
DXO Low light score | 889 | 807 |
Other | ||
Battery life | 360 pictures | 480 pictures |
Form of battery | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
Battery model | BLS-5 | NP-FM500H |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes (2 or 10 sec) |
Time lapse shooting | ||
Storage media | SD/SDHC/SDXC | SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo |
Storage slots | 1 | 1 |
Launch pricing | $400 | $749 |