Olympus 550WP vs Panasonic FP2

Let's look much closer at the Olympus 550WP and Panasonic FP2, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Ultracompact by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a huge gap among the sensor resolutions of the 550WP (10MP) and FP2 (14MP) but they use the same exact sensor dimensions (1/2.3").

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The 550WP was announced 12 months prior to the FP2 which means that they are both of a similar generation. The two cameras offer different body type with the Olympus 550WP being a Compact camera and the Panasonic FP2 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before getting in to a complete comparison, below is a short overview of how the 550WP scores vs the FP2 for portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Here is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus Stylus 550WP and Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP2. The whole galleries are provided at Olympus 550WP Gallery and Panasonic FP2 Gallery.

If you are intending to carry your camera regularly, you need to take into account its weight and volume. The Olympus 550WP has got outside dimensions of 94mm x 62mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.4" x 0.9") accompanied by a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs) and the Panasonic FP2 has sizing of 99mm x 59mm x 19mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.7") with a weight of 151 grams (0.33 lbs).

Look at the Olympus 550WP and Panasonic FP2 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you have at the time. Here is the front view measurement comparison of the 550WP and the FP2.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the 550WP and FP2 is 94 and 95 respectively.

Sometimes, it can be difficult to visualise the contrast in sensor sizing just by checking out specs. The graphic here will help provide you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the 550WP and FP2.

As you can plainly see, each of the cameras enjoy the same exact sensor sizing albeit not the same MP. You should expect the Panasonic FP2 to provide extra detail with its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop photographs far more aggressively. The older 550WP will be disadvantaged in sensor technology.