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Olympus SP-590 UZ vs Sony A55

Portability
72
Imaging
34
Features
38
Overall
35
Olympus SP-590 UZ front
 
Sony SLT-A55 front
Portability
67
Imaging
55
Features
80
Overall
65

Olympus SP-590 UZ vs Sony A55 Key Specs

Olympus SP-590 UZ
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 64 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 26-676mm (F2.8-5.0) lens
  • 413g - 116 x 84 x 81mm
  • Launched January 2009
  • Replacement is Olympus SP-600 UZ
Sony A55
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 100 - 12800 (Increase to 25600)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 500g - 124 x 92 x 85mm
  • Revealed August 2010
  • Successor is Sony A57
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Olympus SP-590 UZ vs Sony A55 Overview

On this page, we will be matching up the Olympus SP-590 UZ vs Sony A55, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. There is a substantial difference among the sensor resolutions of the SP-590 UZ (12MP) and A55 (16MP) and the SP-590 UZ (1/2.3") and A55 (APS-C) boast different sensor measurements.

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The SP-590 UZ was unveiled 19 months prior to the A55 which makes them a generation apart from each other. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus SP-590 UZ being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Sony A55 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving right into a detailed comparison, here is a short overview of how the SP-590 UZ scores against the A55 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus SP-590 UZ over the Sony A55

 SP-590 UZ A55 

Reasons to pick Sony A55 over the Olympus SP-590 UZ

 A55 SP-590 UZ 
RevealedAugust 2010January 2009More recent by 19 months
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen dimensions3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution921k230kClearer screen (+691k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies

Common features in the Olympus SP-590 UZ and Sony A55

 SP-590 UZ A55 
Manual focus More precise focus
Touch screen No Touch screen

Olympus SP-590 UZ vs Sony A55 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is going to lug around your camera frequently, you have to factor its weight and measurements. The Olympus SP-590 UZ has got outside measurements of 116mm x 84mm x 81mm (4.6" x 3.3" x 3.2") having a weight of 413 grams (0.91 lbs) while the Sony A55 has proportions of 124mm x 92mm x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3") along with a weight of 500 grams (1.10 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus SP-590 UZ vs Sony A55 in our newest Camera plus 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 utilizing at that moment. Underneath is a front view overall size comparison of the SP-590 UZ and the A55.

Olympus SP-590 UZ vs Sony A55 size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability score of the SP-590 UZ and A55 is 72 and 67 respectively.

Olympus SP-590 UZ vs Sony A55 top view buttons comparison

Olympus SP-590 UZ vs Sony A55 Sensor Comparison

Generally, its difficult to imagine the contrast in sensor measurements purely by researching technical specs. The photograph here might offer you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the SP-590 UZ and A55.

As you have seen, each of these cameras have different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The SP-590 UZ using its smaller sensor is going to make shooting shallow DOF harder and the Sony A55 will render extra detail having an extra 4MP. Higher resolution can also help you crop photographs a bit more aggressively. The older SP-590 UZ will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor technology.

Olympus SP-590 UZ vs Sony A55 sensor size comparison

Olympus SP-590 UZ vs Sony A55 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus SP-590 UZ vs Sony A55 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus SP-590 UZ as a Portrait photography camera
Sony A55 as a Portrait photography camera
36
you can focus manually
exports RAW formats
external flash not possible
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
small sensor (1/2.3")
73
has manual focus
good MP (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
has face detection focusing
saves RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus SP-590 UZ as a Street photography camera
Sony A55 as a Street photography camera
59
image stabilization (Optical)
exports RAW formats
weather sealing
no moving screen
small sensor (1/2.3")
76
screen articulates
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
saves RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Olympus SP-590 UZ Sports photography features
Sony A55 Sports photography features
38
great zoom range (26-676mm 26.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Optical)
weather sealing
very slow continuous shooting (6.0 fps)
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
small sensor (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect autofocus
67
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good MP (16MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
has phase detect AF
terrible battery (380 shots)
Photography Glossary

Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus SP-590 UZ
Travel photography with Sony A55
58
weather sealing
built-in flash
decently wide (26mm)
long reach (676mm)
megapixel count low (12MP)
display is not selfie friendly
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
61
good MP (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
selfie friendly screen
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
terrible battery (380 shots)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus SP-590 UZ Landscape photography details
Sony A55 Landscape photography details
45
you can focus manually
decently wide (26mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
exports RAW formats
weather sealing
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
screen is small (2.7 inch)
megapixel count low (12MP)
small sensor (1/2.3")
67
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good MP (16MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
saves RAW files
terrible battery (380 CIPA)
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus SP-590 UZ as a Vlogging camera
Sony A55 as a Vlogging camera
24
decently wide (26mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
display is not selfie friendly
video res low (640 x 480 resolution)
doesn't have mic support
77
selfie friendly screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
has face detection focusing
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
has external mic jack
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Olympus SP-590 UZ vs Sony A55 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus SP-590 UZ and Sony A55
 Olympus SP-590 UZSony SLT-A55
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Sony
Model Olympus SP-590 UZ Sony SLT-A55
Type Small Sensor Superzoom Entry-Level DSLR
Launched 2009-01-07 2010-08-24
Body design SLR-like (bridge) Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Powered by - Bionz
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor dimensions 6.08 x 4.56mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 27.7mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio - 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 3968 x 2976 4912 x 3264
Maximum native ISO 6400 12800
Maximum boosted ISO - 25600
Lowest native ISO 64 100
RAW images
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Number of focus points - 15
Cross focus points - 3
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens focal range 26-676mm (26.0x) -
Max aperture f/2.8-5.0 -
Macro focus distance 1cm -
Number of lenses - 143
Crop factor 5.9 1.5
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Display diagonal 2.7" 3"
Resolution of display 230 thousand dot 921 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,150 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.73x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 15 seconds 30 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 6.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 8.00 m 10.00 m (@ ISO 100)
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash sync - 1/160 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60, 29.97 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 640 x 424 (29.97 fps)
Maximum video resolution 640x480 1920x1080
Video format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 413 gr (0.91 lb) 500 gr (1.10 lb)
Physical dimensions 116 x 84 x 81mm (4.6" x 3.3" x 3.2") 124 x 92 x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested 73
DXO Color Depth score not tested 23.0
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 12.4
DXO Low light score not tested 816
Other
Battery life - 380 shots
Style of battery - Battery Pack
Battery model - NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (12 or 2 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage xD Picture Card, microSD Card, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots One One
Price at launch $249 $800