Olympus SZ-10 vs Sony A550

Its time to look a bit more closely at the Olympus SZ-10 and Sony A550, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by rivals Olympus and Sony. The sensor resolution of the SZ-10 (14MP) and the A550 (14MP) is pretty similar but the SZ-10 (1/2.3") and A550 (APS-C) feature totally different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The SZ-10 was revealed 15 months later than the A550 which makes the cameras a generation apart from one another. The two cameras come with different body type with the Olympus SZ-10 being a Compact camera and the Sony A550 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before delving straight into a in-depth comparison, below is a simple highlight of how the SZ-10 grades versus the A550 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Here is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus SZ-10 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A550. The full galleries are provided at Olympus SZ-10 Gallery & Sony A550 Gallery.

For those who are looking to carry your camera often, you will need to consider its weight and dimensions. The Olympus SZ-10 comes with outside dimensions of 106mm x 67mm x 38mm (4.2" x 2.6" x 1.5") accompanied by a weight of 215 grams (0.47 lbs) whilst the Sony A550 has dimensions of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") and a weight of 632 grams (1.39 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus SZ-10 and Sony A550 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you are utilising at that time. The following is the front view size comparison of the SZ-10 versus the A550.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the SZ-10 and A550 is 90 and 63 respectively.

Typically, it can be hard to envision the difference between sensor sizing purely by going over specs. The graphic underneath may offer you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the SZ-10 and A550.

All in all, both cameras posses the exact same megapixels albeit not the same sensor sizing. The SZ-10 has the tinier sensor which is going to make getting shallower depth of field more challenging. The newer SZ-10 will have a benefit when it comes to sensor innovation.