Olympus 1 vs Sony A55

Following is a detailed assessment of the Olympus 1 and Sony A55, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by brands Olympus and Sony. There exists a sizable gap between the resolutions of the 1 (12MP) and A55 (16MP) and the 1 (1/1.7") and A55 (APS-C) provide different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The 1 was launched 3 years after the A55 which is quite a significant difference as far as technology is concerned. Both of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus 1 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Sony A55 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving right into a complete comparison, here is a concise summation of how the 1 scores against the A55 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

The following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus Stylus 1 & Sony SLT-A55. The complete galleries are available at Olympus 1 Gallery & Sony A55 Gallery.

For anybody who is looking to carry around your camera frequently, you have to factor its weight and dimensions. The Olympus 1 has got outer measurements of 116mm x 87mm x 57mm (4.6" x 3.4" x 2.2") with a weight of 402 grams (0.89 lbs) whilst the Sony A55 has dimensions of 124mm x 92mm x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3") and a weight of 500 grams (1.10 lbs).

Examine the Olympus 1 and Sony A55 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you are utilising at the time. Here is a front view dimension comparison of the 1 and the A55.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the 1 and A55 is 79 and 67 respectively.

Quite often, it's difficult to visualize the gap between sensor sizes only by looking at technical specs. The pic below might offer you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the 1 and A55.

As you have seen, each of the cameras feature different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The 1 because of its tinier sensor is going to make shooting shallower DOF more challenging and the Sony A55 will resolve greater detail utilizing its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also let you crop pictures way more aggressively. The more recent 1 provides a benefit in sensor innovation.