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Olympus 550WP vs Panasonic GH2

Portability
94
Imaging
33
Features
17
Overall
26
Olympus Stylus 550WP front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2 front
Portability
70
Imaging
51
Features
65
Overall
56

Olympus 550WP vs Panasonic GH2 Key Specs

Olympus 550WP
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 64 - 1600
  • Digital Image Stabilization
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 38-114mm (F3.5-5.0) lens
  • 167g - 94 x 62 x 22mm
  • Released January 2009
  • Other Name is mju 550WP
Panasonic GH2
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 160 - 12800
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 442g - 124 x 90 x 76mm
  • Announced March 2011
  • Superseded the Panasonic GH1
  • Successor is Panasonic GH3
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Olympus 550WP vs Panasonic GH2 Overview

The following is a detailed analysis of the Olympus 550WP and Panasonic GH2, one is a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Advanced Mirrorless by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a significant gap among the sensor resolutions of the 550WP (10MP) and GH2 (16MP) and the 550WP (1/2.3") and GH2 (Four Thirds) use different sensor size.

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The 550WP was revealed 3 years earlier than the GH2 which is a fairly sizable gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus 550WP being a Compact camera and the Panasonic GH2 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before delving through a detailed comparison, below is a simple highlight of how the 550WP matches up vs the GH2 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus 550WP over the Panasonic GH2

 550WP GH2 

Reasons to pick Panasonic GH2 over the Olympus 550WP

 GH2 550WP 
AnnouncedMarch 2011January 2009Newer by 26 months
Manually focus More accurate focus
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen sizing3"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.5")
Screen resolution460k230kCrisper screen (+230k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Olympus 550WP and Panasonic GH2

 550WP GH2 

Olympus 550WP vs Panasonic GH2 Physical Comparison

When you are intending to travel with your camera often, you need to consider its weight and volume. The Olympus 550WP enjoys external measurements of 94mm x 62mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.4" x 0.9") and a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs) while the Panasonic GH2 has sizing of 124mm x 90mm x 76mm (4.9" x 3.5" x 3.0") having a weight of 442 grams (0.97 lbs).

See the Olympus 550WP and Panasonic GH2 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you have attached during that time. Underneath is the front view proportions comparison of the 550WP and the GH2.

Olympus 550WP vs Panasonic GH2 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the 550WP and GH2 is 94 and 70 respectively.

Olympus 550WP vs Panasonic GH2 top view buttons comparison

Olympus 550WP vs Panasonic GH2 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it can be difficult to imagine the gap in sensor dimensions purely by researching a spec sheet. The image underneath might give you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the 550WP and GH2.

As you can see, each of the cameras offer different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The 550WP with its smaller sensor is going to make shooting shallower DOF more challenging and the Panasonic GH2 will provide you with greater detail because of its extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop shots a little more aggressively. The more aged 550WP will be behind when it comes to sensor technology.

Olympus 550WP vs Panasonic GH2 sensor size comparison

Olympus 550WP vs Panasonic GH2 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus 550WP vs Panasonic GH2 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus 550WP
Portrait photography with Panasonic GH2
19
focusing manually not possible
lack of manual mode
no external flash support
sensor resolution low (10 megapixels)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
70
has manual focus
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
comes with face detection focusing
supports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus 550WP Street photography information
Panasonic GH2 Street photography information
61
built in image stabilization (Digital)
environment sealing
screen does not articulate
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
68
fully articulated screen
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
no image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus 550WP
Sports photography with Panasonic GH2
30
built in image stabilization (Digital)
environment sealing
maximum shutter speed is a little low (1/1,000 seconds)
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor resolution low (10MP)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
has no phase detect AF
46
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
comes with tracking autofocus
continuous shooting slow (3.0 frames per second)
no image stabilization
not so great battery pack (330 shots)
does not have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus 550WP Travel photography advice
Panasonic GH2 Travel photography advice
55
environment sealing
has built in flash
no Timelapse function
sensor resolution low (10 megapixels)
screen isn't selfie friendly
wide angle not good (38mm)
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
62
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
selfie friendly screen
missing Timelapse recording
not so great battery pack (330 CIPA)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus 550WP Landscape photography advice
Panasonic GH2 Landscape photography advice
30
built in image stabilization (Digital)
environment sealing
focusing manually not possible
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not good (38mm)
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
screen is somewhat small (2.5")
lack of manual mode
sensor resolution low (10MP)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
no Timelapse function
60
has manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
no image stabilization
not so great battery pack (330 per charge)
missing Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus 550WP Vlogging highlights
Panasonic GH2 Vlogging highlights
25
built in image stabilization (Digital)
wide angle not good (38mm)
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
screen isn't selfie friendly
video res low (640 x 480 resolution)
no microphone support
71
selfie friendly screen
touchscreen
comes with face detection focusing
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
comes with external microphone socket
no image stabilization
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Olympus 550WP vs Panasonic GH2 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus 550WP and Panasonic GH2
 Olympus Stylus 550WPPanasonic Lumix DMC-GH2
General Information
Brand Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus Stylus 550WP Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2
Other name mju 550WP -
Type Small Sensor Compact Advanced Mirrorless
Released 2009-01-07 2011-03-23
Physical type Compact SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Powered by - Venus Engine FHD
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" Four Thirds
Sensor measurements 6.08 x 4.56mm 17.3 x 13mm
Sensor surface area 27.7mm² 224.9mm²
Sensor resolution 10MP 16MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 16:9, 4:3 and 3:2 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 3648 x 2736 4608 x 3456
Maximum native ISO 1600 12800
Minimum native ISO 64 160
RAW support
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Number of focus points - 23
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens Micro Four Thirds
Lens focal range 38-114mm (3.0x) -
Maximal aperture f/3.5-5.0 -
Macro focus range 7cm -
Number of lenses - 107
Crop factor 5.9 2.1
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Screen size 2.5 inch 3 inch
Resolution of screen 230 thousand dots 460 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Screen tech - TFT Color LCD with wide-viewing angle
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Electronic
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.71x
Features
Min shutter speed 4s 60s
Max shutter speed 1/1000s 1/4000s
Continuous shutter rate - 3.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation - Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range - 15.60 m
Flash options Auto, Fill-in, Red-Eye reduction, Off, On Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Max flash synchronize - 1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps) 1920 x 1080 (24, 30, 60fps) 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30fps), 320 x 240 (30fps)
Maximum video resolution 640x480 1920x1080
Video file format Motion JPEG AVCHD, Motion JPEG
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 167 grams (0.37 lbs) 442 grams (0.97 lbs)
Dimensions 94 x 62 x 22mm (3.7" x 2.4" x 0.9") 124 x 90 x 76mm (4.9" x 3.5" x 3.0")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested 60
DXO Color Depth score not tested 21.2
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 11.3
DXO Low light score not tested 655
Other
Battery life - 330 photos
Form of battery - Battery Pack
Self timer Yes (12 seconds) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage type xD-Picture Card, microSD, internal SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots One One
Pricing at release $399 $1,000