Olympus E-PM1 vs Sony A550

Following is a in-depth assessment of the Olympus E-PM1 and Sony A550, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Olympus and Sony. The resolution of the E-PM1 (12MP) and the A550 (14MP) is very well matched but the E-PM1 (Four Thirds) and A550 (APS-C) come with totally different sensor size.

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The E-PM1 was released 24 months after the A550 making the cameras a generation away from one another. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PM1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A550 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving straight into a thorough comparison, below is a short overview of how the E-PM1 grades versus the A550 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Here is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus PEN E-PM1 and Sony Alpha DSLR-A550. The complete galleries are viewable at Olympus E-PM1 Gallery and Sony A550 Gallery.

For those who are aiming to carry around your camera frequently, you're going to have to factor its weight and volume. The Olympus E-PM1 provides exterior measurements of 110mm x 64mm x 34mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.3") having a weight of 265 grams (0.58 lbs) whilst the Sony A550 has sizing of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") with a weight of 632 grams (1.39 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-PM1 and Sony A550 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you are utilising at that moment. The following is the front view scale comparison of the E-PM1 and the A550.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-PM1 and A550 is 89 and 63 respectively.

More often than not, it can be difficult to see the contrast between sensor sizes only by reading through technical specs. The picture here should offer you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PM1 and A550.

As you can tell, each of these cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The E-PM1 because of its tinier sensor will make shooting shallower DOF more difficult and the Sony A550 will resolve more detail as a result of its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will let you crop photos much more aggressively. The more modern E-PM1 is going to have a benefit when it comes to sensor technology.