Olympus E-PL9 vs Sony A550

Lets look closer at the Olympus E-PL9 and Sony A550, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by competitors Olympus and Sony. The resolution of the E-PL9 (16MP) and the A550 (14MP) is very well matched but the E-PL9 (Four Thirds) and A550 (APS-C) feature totally different sensor dimensions.

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The E-PL9 was brought out 8 years later than the A550 and that is quite a sizable difference as far as tech is concerned. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL9 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A550 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before we go in to a full comparison, below is a short introduction of how the E-PL9 matches up against the A550 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus PEN E-PL9 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A550. The entire galleries are available at Olympus E-PL9 Gallery & Sony A550 Gallery.

For anyone who is intending to lug around your camera regularly, you will need to factor in its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-PL9 has got outside dimensions of 117mm x 68mm x 39mm (4.6" x 2.7" x 1.5") along with a weight of 380 grams (0.84 lbs) whilst the Sony A550 has proportions of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") along with a weight of 632 grams (1.39 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-PL9 and Sony A550 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you are employing at the time. Following is the front view scale comparison of the E-PL9 compared to the A550.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability score of the E-PL9 and A550 is 85 and 63 respectively.

Oftentimes, it is very hard to see the gap between sensor measurements merely by looking at specifications. The visual below might provide you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PL9 and A550.

To sum up, both of the cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-PL9 because of its tinier sensor will make achieving shallow DOF tougher and the Olympus E-PL9 will give you extra detail having its extra 2MP. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop photos much more aggressively. The newer E-PL9 is going to have an edge when it comes to sensor tech.