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Olympus SZ-11 vs Sony A55

Portability
89
Imaging
37
Features
37
Overall
37
Olympus SZ-11 front
 
Sony SLT-A55 front
Portability
67
Imaging
56
Features
80
Overall
65

Olympus SZ-11 vs Sony A55 Key Specs

Olympus SZ-11
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 1600
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-500mm (F3.0-6.9) lens
  • 226g - 106 x 69 x 40mm
  • Announced July 2011
Sony A55
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 100 - 12800 (Push to 25600)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 500g - 124 x 92 x 85mm
  • Introduced August 2010
  • Refreshed by Sony A57
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Olympus SZ-11 vs Sony A55 Overview

Let's look more closely at the Olympus SZ-11 versus Sony A55, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Olympus and Sony. The sensor resolution of the SZ-11 (14MP) and the A55 (16MP) is pretty similar but the SZ-11 (1/2.3") and A55 (APS-C) come with different sensor measurements.

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The SZ-11 was introduced 12 months after the A55 which means that they are of a similar age. Both cameras offer different body type with the Olympus SZ-11 being a Compact camera and the Sony A55 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving through a full comparison, below is a brief summary of how the SZ-11 grades vs the A55 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-11 over the Sony A55

 SZ-11 A55 
IntroducedJuly 2011August 2010Newer by 12 months

Reasons to pick Sony A55 over the Olympus SZ-11

 A55 SZ-11 
Focus manually Dial exact focus
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen resolution921k460kCrisper screen (+461k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Common features in the Olympus SZ-11 and Sony A55

 SZ-11 A55 
Screen sizing3"3"Equivalent screen measurements
Touch friendly screen Missing Touch friendly screen

Olympus SZ-11 vs Sony A55 Physical Comparison

If you're going to travel with your camera frequently, you should factor in its weight and volume. The Olympus SZ-11 features external dimensions of 106mm x 69mm x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") with a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs) and the Sony A55 has sizing of 124mm x 92mm x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3") accompanied by a weight of 500 grams (1.10 lbs).

See the Olympus SZ-11 versus Sony A55 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you select at the time. Here is the front view measurement comparison of the SZ-11 versus the A55.

Olympus SZ-11 vs Sony A55 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the SZ-11 and A55 is 89 and 67 respectively.

Olympus SZ-11 vs Sony A55 top view buttons comparison

Olympus SZ-11 vs Sony A55 Sensor Comparison

Typically, it can be difficult to visualize the gap between sensor dimensions merely by going over specs. The image here should provide you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the SZ-11 and A55.

As you can plainly see, both cameras enjoy different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The SZ-11 with its tinier sensor is going to make getting shallow DOF tougher and the Sony A55 will offer you more detail using its extra 2MP. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop shots far more aggressively. The more recent SZ-11 provides an edge when it comes to sensor technology.

Olympus SZ-11 vs Sony A55 sensor size comparison

Olympus SZ-11 vs Sony A55 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus SZ-11 vs Sony A55 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus SZ-11 Portrait photography information
Sony A55 Portrait photography information
33
MP count decent (14MP)
provides face detect focusing
no manual focus
manual mode not possible
cannot use external flash
sensor is small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
73
you can focus manually
decent megapixels (16MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
provides face detection focus
supports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus SZ-11 as a Street photography camera
Sony A55 as a Street photography camera
60
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than competitors (226g)
fixed screen
sensor is small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
77
fully articulated screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Olympus SZ-11 as a Sports photography camera
Sony A55 as a Sports photography camera
43
amazing zoom range (25-500mm 20.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
MP count decent (14 megapixels)
provides tracking focus
no shutter priority
sensor is small (1/2.3")
low battery life (200 per charge)
does not have phase detect AF
68
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
comes with phase detect auto focus
bad battery pack (380 CIPA)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus SZ-11 Travel photography details
Sony A55 Travel photography details
65
lighter than competitors (226 grams)
MP count decent (14 megapixels)
built-in flash
rather wide (25mm)
very long zoom (500mm)
lack of Time Lapse function
low battery life (200 per charge)
screen isn't selfie friendly
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.0)
62
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
display is selfie friendly
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
bad battery pack (380 CIPA)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus SZ-11 Landscape photography info
Sony A55 Landscape photography info
40
rather wide (25mm)
decent sized screen (3")
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
MP count decent (14MP)
no manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.0)
manual mode not possible
sensor is small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
low battery life (200 per charge)
lack of Time Lapse function
67
you can focus manually
change lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW files
bad battery pack (380 per charge)
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus SZ-11 Vlogging details
Sony A55 Vlogging details
31
rather wide (25mm)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
provides face detect focusing
lighter than competitors (226g)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.0)
screen isn't selfie friendly
video resolution low (1280 x 720 pxls)
lack of mic socket
78
display is selfie friendly
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
provides face detection focus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
does have external mic port
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Olympus SZ-11 vs Sony A55 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus SZ-11 and Sony A55
 Olympus SZ-11Sony SLT-A55
General Information
Make Olympus Sony
Model Olympus SZ-11 Sony SLT-A55
Category Small Sensor Superzoom Entry-Level DSLR
Announced 2011-07-27 2010-08-24
Body design Compact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Powered by 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 area 28.1mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 14 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4288 x 3216 4912 x 3264
Highest native ISO 1600 12800
Highest enhanced ISO - 25600
Min native ISO 80 100
RAW files
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch focus
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Number of focus points - 15
Cross focus points - 3
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens focal range 25-500mm (20.0x) -
Maximum aperture f/3.0-6.9 -
Macro focus distance 1cm -
Number of lenses - 143
Crop factor 5.8 1.5
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Screen diagonal 3 inches 3 inches
Screen resolution 460 thousand dot 921 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Screen technology TFT Color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,150 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.73x
Features
Min shutter speed 4s 30s
Max shutter speed 1/2000s 1/4000s
Continuous shutter speed 7.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 9.30 m (@ ISO 1600) 10.00 m (@ ISO 100)
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Max flash sync - 1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
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 jack
Headphone jack
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 226g (0.50 lb) 500g (1.10 lb)
Dimensions 106 x 69 x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") 124 x 92 x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall 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 200 pictures 380 pictures
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model LI-50B NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots 1 1
Pricing at release $253 $800