Clicky

Olympus SZ-10 vs Sony A55

Portability
90
Imaging
37
Features
36
Overall
36
Olympus SZ-10 front
 
Sony SLT-A55 front
Portability
67
Imaging
56
Features
80
Overall
65

Olympus SZ-10 vs Sony A55 Key Specs

Olympus SZ-10
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 1600
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-504mm (F3.1-4.4) lens
  • 215g - 106 x 67 x 38mm
  • Launched February 2011
Sony A55
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 100 - 12800 (Bump to 25600)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 500g - 124 x 92 x 85mm
  • Introduced August 2010
  • Successor is Sony A57
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Olympus SZ-10 vs Sony A55 Overview

Following is a detailed comparison of the Olympus SZ-10 versus Sony A55, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by rivals Olympus and Sony. The resolution of the SZ-10 (14MP) and the A55 (16MP) is pretty close but the SZ-10 (1/2.3") and A55 (APS-C) provide different sensor sizes.

Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

The SZ-10 was manufactured 6 months after the A55 and they are of a similar age. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus SZ-10 being a Compact camera and the Sony A55 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving straight to a in depth comparison, here is a short overview of how the SZ-10 matches up vs the A55 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-10 over the Sony A55

 SZ-10 A55 

Reasons to pick Sony A55 over the Olympus SZ-10

 A55 SZ-10 
Manual focus More precise focusing
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen resolution921k460kSharper screen (+461k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies

Common features in the Olympus SZ-10 and Sony A55

 SZ-10 A55 
IntroducedFebruary 2011August 2010Same age
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen dimensions
Touch screen Neither comes with Touch screen

Olympus SZ-10 vs Sony A55 Physical Comparison

If you are looking to carry around your camera, you'll have to consider its weight and size. The Olympus SZ-10 comes with external measurements of 106mm x 67mm x 38mm (4.2" x 2.6" x 1.5") with a weight of 215 grams (0.47 lbs) while the Sony A55 has specifications 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 SZ-10 versus Sony A55 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you are working with at that time. Here is a front view scale comparison of the SZ-10 versus the A55.

Olympus SZ-10 vs Sony A55 size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability grade of the SZ-10 and A55 is 90 and 67 respectively.

Olympus SZ-10 vs Sony A55 top view buttons comparison

Olympus SZ-10 vs Sony A55 Sensor Comparison

Generally, it's hard to picture the contrast in sensor sizes just by researching specifications. The pic here should provide you a clearer sense of the sensor measurements in the SZ-10 and A55.

To sum up, both cameras have different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The SZ-10 because of its smaller sensor is going to make shooting bokeh trickier and the Sony A55 will provide you with more detail due to its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop photographs a bit more aggressively.

Olympus SZ-10 vs Sony A55 sensor size comparison

Olympus SZ-10 vs Sony A55 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus SZ-10 vs Sony A55 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus SZ-10 as a Portrait photography camera
Sony A55 as a Portrait photography camera
33
megapixel count decent (14MP)
has face detection focusing
manual focus not available
manual mode not possible
external flash not possible
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
73
manual focus
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
features face detect focusing
saves RAW files
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

Street Comparison

Olympus SZ-10 Street photography info
Sony A55 Street photography info
60
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than competition in class (215 grams)
no articulating screen
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
77
fully articulated screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
saves RAW files
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus SZ-10
Sports photography with Sony A55
40
incredible zoom range (28-504mm 18.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
megapixel count decent (14MP)
has tracking autofocus
very slow continuous shooting (1.0 fps)
no shutter priority mode
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
low battery (220 CIPA)
does not have phase detect AF
68
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent megapixels (16MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
sensor has phase detect AF
not so great battery (380 shots)
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Travel Comparison

Olympus SZ-10 Travel photography details
Sony A55 Travel photography details
65
lighter than competition in class (215 grams)
megapixel count decent (14 megapixels)
flash built-in
pretty wide (28mm)
great zoom (504mm)
missing Timelapse mode
low battery (220 CIPA)
screen isn't selfie friendly
slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
62
decent megapixels (16MP)
built-in flash
selfie friendly screen
does not have Time Lapse function
not so great battery (380 per charge)
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus SZ-10
Landscape photography with Sony A55
40
pretty wide (28mm)
screen size is decent (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
megapixel count decent (14 megapixels)
manual focus not available
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
manual mode not possible
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
low battery (220 CIPA)
missing Timelapse mode
67
manual focus
change lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen size is decent (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent megapixels (16MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
saves RAW files
not so great battery (380 per charge)
does not have Time Lapse function
Photography Glossary

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus SZ-10 Vlogging highlights
Sony A55 Vlogging highlights
31
pretty wide (28mm)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
has face detection focusing
lighter than competition in class (215g)
slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
screen isn't selfie friendly
low res video (1280 x 720 pixels)
missing external microphone support
78
selfie friendly screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
features face detect focusing
high res video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
includes mic socket
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

Olympus SZ-10 vs Sony A55 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus SZ-10 and Sony A55
 Olympus SZ-10Sony SLT-A55
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Sony
Model Olympus SZ-10 Sony SLT-A55
Type Small Sensor Superzoom Entry-Level DSLR
Launched 2011-02-08 2010-08-24
Physical type Compact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic III+ Bionz
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 14MP 16MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4288 x 3216 4912 x 3264
Highest native ISO 1600 12800
Highest boosted ISO - 25600
Minimum native ISO 80 100
RAW images
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points - 15
Cross focus points - 3
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens focal range 28-504mm (18.0x) -
Highest aperture f/3.1-4.4 -
Macro focus distance 1cm -
Available lenses - 143
Crop factor 5.8 1.5
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Screen size 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of screen 460 thousand dots 921 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Screen technology TFT Color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,150 thousand dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.73x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 4s 30s
Maximum shutter speed 1/2000s 1/4000s
Continuous shooting rate 1.0 frames per sec 10.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 7.10 m 10.00 m (@ ISO 100)
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize - 1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30, 15fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15fps) 1920 x 1080 (60, 29.97 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 640 x 424 (29.97 fps)
Highest video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video data format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 215g (0.47 pounds) 500g (1.10 pounds)
Physical dimensions 106 x 67 x 38mm (4.2" x 2.6" x 1.5") 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 220 photographs 380 photographs
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model LI-50B NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots Single Single
Price at launch $300 $800