Olympus SP-590 UZ vs Sony A55
72 Imaging
34 Features
38 Overall
35
67 Imaging
55 Features
80 Overall
65
Olympus SP-590 UZ vs Sony A55 Key Specs
(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
(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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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.
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhoneThe 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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The following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus SP-590 UZ & Sony SLT-A55. The full galleries are available at Olympus SP-590 UZ Gallery & Sony A55 Gallery.
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 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revealed | August 2010 | January 2009 | More recent by 19 months | |
| Screen type | Fully Articulated | Fixed | Fully Articulating screen | |
| Screen dimensions | 3" | 2.7" | Bigger screen (+0.3") | |
| Screen resolution | 921k | 230k | Clearer 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.
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.

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 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 Screen and ViewFinder
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Olympus SP-590 UZ vs Sony A55 Specifications
| Olympus SP-590 UZ | Sony 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 |