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Olympus SP-800 UZ vs Sony A550

Portability
69
Imaging
37
Features
35
Overall
36
Olympus SP-800 UZ front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 front
Portability
63
Imaging
54
Features
65
Overall
58

Olympus SP-800 UZ vs Sony A550 Key Specs

Olympus SP-800 UZ
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 64 - 3200 (Expand to 1000)
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-840mm (F2.8-5.6) lens
  • 455g - 110 x 90 x 91mm
  • Revealed February 2010
  • Successor is Olympus SP-810 UZ
Sony A550
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 200 - 12800
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 632g - 137 x 104 x 84mm
  • Released December 2009
  • Replaced the Sony A100
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Olympus SP-800 UZ vs Sony A550 Overview

Below, we are evaluating the Olympus SP-800 UZ and Sony A550, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by competitors Olympus and Sony. The resolution of the SP-800 UZ (14MP) and the A550 (14MP) is very well matched but the SP-800 UZ (1/2.3") and A550 (APS-C) possess totally different sensor measurements.

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The SP-800 UZ was launched 2 months later than the A550 and they are both of a similar age. The two cameras come with different body type with the Olympus SP-800 UZ being a Compact camera and the Sony A550 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before getting through a more detailed comparison, below is a short overview of how the SP-800 UZ grades versus the A550 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus SP-800 UZ over the Sony A550

 SP-800 UZ A550 

Reasons to pick Sony A550 over the Olympus SP-800 UZ

 A550 SP-800 UZ 
Manually focus Dial exact focusing
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display resolution922k230kSharper display (+692k dot)

Common features in the Olympus SP-800 UZ and Sony A550

 SP-800 UZ A550 
ReleasedFebruary 2010December 2009Similar age
Display dimension3"3"Identical display measurements
Selfie screen Neither features selfie screen
Touch display Neither features Touch display

Olympus SP-800 UZ vs Sony A550 Physical Comparison

If you are aiming to carry your camera frequently, you should factor its weight and volume. The Olympus SP-800 UZ enjoys outside measurements of 110mm x 90mm x 91mm (4.3" x 3.5" x 3.6") along with a weight of 455 grams (1.00 lbs) whilst the Sony A550 has sizing of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") having a weight of 632 grams (1.39 lbs).

Examine the Olympus SP-800 UZ and Sony A550 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you are working with at that moment. Below is the front view scale comparison of the SP-800 UZ versus the A550.

Olympus SP-800 UZ vs Sony A550 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the SP-800 UZ and A550 is 69 and 63 respectively.

Olympus SP-800 UZ vs Sony A550 top view buttons comparison

Olympus SP-800 UZ vs Sony A550 Sensor Comparison

Typically, it is tough to see the contrast between sensor sizing simply by checking specifications. The visual here might offer you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the SP-800 UZ and A550.

Plainly, both cameras have got the exact same megapixels but not the same sensor sizing. The SP-800 UZ features the tinier sensor which should make obtaining shallower depth of field more challenging.

Olympus SP-800 UZ vs Sony A550 sensor size comparison

Olympus SP-800 UZ vs Sony A550 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus SP-800 UZ vs Sony A550 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus SP-800 UZ Portrait photography highlights
Sony A550 Portrait photography highlights
28
megapixel count decent (14 megapixels)
manual focus not available
lack of manual mode
external flash not possible
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
72
you can focus manually
good megapixels (14 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
offers face detect focus
supports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus SP-800 UZ Street photography info
Sony A550 Street photography info
46
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
no moving screen
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
74
screen tilts
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
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Sports Comparison

Olympus SP-800 UZ Sports photography factors
Sony A550 Sports photography factors
47
incredible zoom range (28-840mm 30.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
megapixel count decent (14MP)
features tracking autofocus
no shutter priority mode
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect AF
67
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good megapixels (14 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
has phase detect auto focus
bad battery pack (480 per charge)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus SP-800 UZ Travel photography advice
Sony A550 Travel photography advice
61
megapixel count decent (14MP)
has built in flash
reasonably wide (28mm)
very long reach (840mm)
screen is not selfie friendly
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
52
good megapixels (14 megapixels)
built-in flash
missing Timelapse recording
bad battery pack (480 per charge)
display is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus SP-800 UZ Landscape photography information
Sony A550 Landscape photography information
41
reasonably wide (28mm)
decent sized screen (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
megapixel count decent (14 megapixels)
manual focus not available
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
lack of manual mode
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
66
you can focus manually
interchangeable lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen size is good (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good megapixels (14 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
bad battery pack (480 shots)
missing Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus SP-800 UZ as a Vlogging camera
Sony A550 as a Vlogging camera
24
reasonably wide (28mm)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
screen is not selfie friendly
video resolution low (1280 x 720 pixels)
doesn't have external mic jack
9
no video
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Olympus SP-800 UZ vs Sony A550 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus SP-800 UZ and Sony A550
 Olympus SP-800 UZSony Alpha DSLR-A550
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus SP-800 UZ Sony Alpha DSLR-A550
Class Small Sensor Superzoom Entry-Level DSLR
Revealed 2010-02-02 2009-12-09
Body design Compact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic III Bionz
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 23.4 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 365.0mm²
Sensor resolution 14MP 14MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio - 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 4288 x 3216 4592 x 3056
Max native ISO 3200 12800
Max enhanced ISO 1000 -
Min native ISO 64 200
RAW images
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Total focus points 143 9
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens zoom range 28-840mm (30.0x) -
Max aperture f/2.8-5.6 -
Macro focusing distance 1cm -
Available lenses - 143
Focal length multiplier 5.8 1.5
Screen
Range of display Fixed Type Tilting
Display diagonal 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 230 thousand dot 922 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder coverage - 95%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.53x
Features
Min shutter speed 12 secs 30 secs
Max shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shutter speed 10.0 frames/s 7.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation - Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 3.10 m 12.00 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Max flash sync - 1/160 secs
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) -
Max video resolution 1280x720 None
Video file format H.264 -
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 455g (1.00 lb) 632g (1.39 lb)
Dimensions 110 x 90 x 91mm (4.3" x 3.5" x 3.6") 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested 66
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 21.9
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 11.8
DXO Low light rating not tested 807
Other
Battery life - 480 pictures
Battery form - Battery Pack
Battery ID Li-50B NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes (12 or 2 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC, Internal SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots One One
Retail cost $270 $749