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Olympus E-PM1 vs Olympus 550WP

Portability
89
Imaging
48
Features
52
Overall
49
Olympus PEN E-PM1 front
 
Olympus Stylus 550WP front
Portability
94
Imaging
33
Features
17
Overall
26

Olympus E-PM1 vs Olympus 550WP Key Specs

Olympus E-PM1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 12800
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 265g - 110 x 64 x 34mm
  • Introduced November 2011
  • Replacement is Olympus E-PM2
Olympus 550WP
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 64 - 1600
  • Digital Image Stabilization
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 38-114mm (F3.5-5.0) lens
  • 167g - 94 x 62 x 22mm
  • Announced January 2009
  • Also referred to as mju 550WP
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-PM1 vs Olympus 550WP Overview

Lets look more closely at the Olympus E-PM1 versus Olympus 550WP, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact and they are both produced by Olympus. The resolution of the E-PM1 (12MP) and the 550WP (10MP) is pretty similar but the E-PM1 (Four Thirds) and 550WP (1/2.3") have totally different sensor sizing.

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The E-PM1 was brought out 2 years after the 550WP which is quite a sizable difference as far as tech is concerned. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PM1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus 550WP being a Compact camera.

Before going right into a complete comparison, here is a simple summation of how the E-PM1 grades vs the 550WP with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PM1 over the Olympus 550WP

 E-PM1 550WP 
AnnouncedNovember 2011January 2009More modern by 35 months
Manually focus Very precise focusing
Screen dimensions3"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.5")
Screen resolution460k230kClearer screen (+230k dot)

Reasons to pick Olympus 550WP over the Olympus E-PM1

 550WP E-PM1 

Common features in the Olympus E-PM1 and Olympus 550WP

 E-PM1 550WP 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Neither contains selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Neither contains Touch friendly screen

Olympus E-PM1 vs Olympus 550WP Physical Comparison

For anyone who is looking to carry around your camera frequently, you have to take into account its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-PM1 has got outside measurements of 110mm x 64mm x 34mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.3") and a weight of 265 grams (0.58 lbs) and the Olympus 550WP has proportions of 94mm x 62mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.4" x 0.9") accompanied by a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-PM1 versus Olympus 550WP in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you are working with at that moment. The following is a front view dimensions comparison of the E-PM1 versus the 550WP.

Olympus E-PM1 vs Olympus 550WP size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability score of the E-PM1 and 550WP is 89 and 94 respectively.

Olympus E-PM1 vs Olympus 550WP top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PM1 vs Olympus 550WP Sensor Comparison

Usually, it can be tough to see the gap between sensor sizes purely by going over a spec sheet. The picture here should provide you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the E-PM1 and 550WP.

As you can see, both of those cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The E-PM1 because of its bigger sensor will make shooting bokeh simpler and the Olympus E-PM1 will deliver extra detail having its extra 2MP. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop photographs more aggressively. The younger E-PM1 will have a benefit when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-PM1 vs Olympus 550WP sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PM1 vs Olympus 550WP Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PM1 vs Olympus 550WP Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-PM1
Portrait photography with Olympus 550WP
60
focusing manually
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides face detect autofocus
saves RAW formats
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
19
lack of manual focus
manual exposure not available
external flash not possible
megapixel count low (10MP)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-PM1
Street photography with Olympus 550WP
75
image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
screen does not articulate
61
has image stabilization (Digital)
environment sealing
no moving screen
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PM1 Sports photography information
Olympus 550WP Sports photography information
49
image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides tracking focus
very slow continuous shooting (6.0 frames per second)
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
30
has image stabilization (Digital)
environment sealing
low max shutter speed (1/1,000s)
no shutter priority
megapixel count low (10MP)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PM1 as a Travel photography camera
Olympus 550WP as a Travel photography camera
45
doesn't have Time Lapse function
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
screen is not selfie friendly
55
environment sealing
has built in flash
does not have Timelapse mode
megapixel count low (10MP)
does not feature selfie friendly screen
wide angle not the best (38mm)
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PM1 Landscape photography advice
Olympus 550WP Landscape photography advice
65
focusing manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
doesn't have Time Lapse function
30
has image stabilization (Digital)
environment sealing
lack of manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not the best (38mm)
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
screen is small (2.5 inches)
manual exposure not available
megapixel count low (10 megapixels)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
does not have Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PM1 Vlogging details
Olympus 550WP Vlogging details
34
image stabilization (Sensor based)
provides face detect autofocus
video res high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
screen is not selfie friendly
doesn't have mic jack
25
has image stabilization (Digital)
wide angle not the best (38mm)
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
does not feature selfie friendly screen
low quality video (640 x 480 pixels)
does not have external microphone port
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Olympus E-PM1 vs Olympus 550WP Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PM1 and Olympus 550WP
 Olympus PEN E-PM1Olympus Stylus 550WP
General Information
Make Olympus Olympus
Model type Olympus PEN E-PM1 Olympus Stylus 550WP
Also Known as - mju 550WP
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Introduced 2011-11-23 2009-01-07
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic VI -
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
Highest Possible resolution 4032 x 3024 3648 x 2736
Maximum native ISO 12800 1600
Min native ISO 100 64
RAW support
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Total focus points 35 -
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 38-114mm (3.0x)
Max aperture - f/3.5-5.0
Macro focusing distance - 7cm
Amount of lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.9
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen sizing 3 inches 2.5 inches
Screen resolution 460 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Screen tech HyperCrystal LCD AR(Anti-Reflective) coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) None
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60s 4s
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/1000s
Continuous shutter speed 6.0 frames/s -
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance no built-in flash -
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, Fill-in, Red-Eye reduction, Off, On
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/160s -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 640x480
Video file format AVCHD, Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 265g (0.58 lb) 167g (0.37 lb)
Physical dimensions 110 x 64 x 34mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.3") 94 x 62 x 22mm (3.7" x 2.4" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 52 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 21.0 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.3 not tested
DXO Low light rating 499 not tested
Other
Battery life 330 photos -
Style of battery Battery Pack -
Battery ID BLS-5 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (12 seconds)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC xD-Picture Card, microSD, internal
Storage slots 1 1
Launch pricing $499 $399