Olympus Stylus 550WP vs. Pentax Optio E85: A Tale of Two Small Sensor Compacts

Every photographer - whether seasoned pro, enthusiast, or casual snapshooter - knows that sometimes the best camera is the one you actually carry with you. Compact cameras, especially those with small sensors, can still play a role in a well-rounded kit when portability is paramount. Today, we're peering into two compact contenders from the late 2000s: the Olympus Stylus 550WP and the Pentax Optio E85. While both share a petite form factor and modest sensor sizes, their design choices and feature sets diverge enough to warrant a thorough, hands-on comparison. Pull up a chair - this is going to be a detailed dive into their specs, usability, and suitability for different photographic genres.

Getting to Know the Contenders: Olympus 550WP and Pentax E85

Released less than a year apart in 2009 (Olympus in January, Pentax in September), these compact cameras target casual shooters wanting something pocket-friendly without completely sacrificing manual controls or image quality. Both are small sensor CCD compacts with fixed zoom lenses hovering around a 3x zoom range, but they take somewhat different technical and ergonomic approaches.

Here's a snapshot of their basic physical stats:

Size and Feel: Compact Means Different Things Here

Right off the bat, the Olympian 550WP feels a touch chunkier and heavier, measuring 94x62x22 mm against Pentax's sleeker 93x58x24 mm footprint. Though the difference is subtle (just 22 grams and a few millimeters here and there), it’s perceptible once you slip them into a pocket or purse. The Olympus clearly aims for sturdiness - with weatherproofing in mind - while Pentax opts for a slimmer silhouette, sacrificing environmental protection.

Ergonomically, both cameras strike a balance typical of point-and-shoots from this era: simple button layouts, limited custom controls, and minimal manual shooting modes. Neither supports aperture or shutter priority modes, manual focus, or RAW output - which tells you straight away they're more about basic snapshooting than serious creative control.

Handling and Controls: Where the Usability Rubber Meets the Road

Let's peek at the top control surfaces:

Both cameras offer straightforward control dials and buttons: power on/off, shutter release with zoom toggle, and flash controls. The Olympus throws in a small self-timer button with a fixed 12-second delay, while Pentax provides a more practical 2 or 10-second timer option - little touches, but potentially useful.

Neither camera features touchscreen functionality or an electronic viewfinder - which, if you ask me, underscores their casual point-and-shoot positioning. The fixed screens, though not dazzling by today’s standards, offer decent clarity when framing shots but struggle to deliver usable brightness in direct sunlight.

Here you can see the rear screen layout and menus - neither is a touchscreen, meaning all navigation relies on physical buttons around or near the display. This inherently slows down settings adjustments, especially for exposure compensation or changing ISO, which these cameras don't even offer.

The Olympus’ waterproofing credentials lend it robust build quality, including sealed buttons - more reassuring if you expect occasional rough usage outdoors.

Sensor and Image Quality: Small Sensors in a Snapshooting World

Both cameras pack a 1/2.3-inch CCD sensor - a common choice for compacts then and now due to cost and manufacturing efficiency. However, resolution diverges: Pentax’s 12 MP sensor edges the Olympus’s 10 MP.

It’s worth noting that the actual sensor surface area is nearly identical (within 1–2% difference), so the Pentax crams a few more pixels in the same space. This can be a double-edged sword - higher resolution affords more cropping latitude but increases susceptibility to noise especially in lower light.

In my hands-on testing, both cameras produce typical compact camera image quality for the era: decent sharpness in daylight, but limited dynamic range and rapid quality degradation at higher ISO (beyond 400-800 ISO). Here's what you can expect:

• Olympus 550WP: Slightly softer images, but software-based digital stabilization helps alleviate slight handshake blur at slower shutter speeds. Colors lean toward cooler tones, which some may prefer for landscape or daylight street photography.
• Pentax E85: Sharper detail rendering and warmer color palettes, but without stabilization you are more likely to encounter motion blur unless you have a steady hand or good lighting.

Neither camera supports RAW captures, unfortunately, locking you into JPEGs and limiting post-processing flexibility.

Autofocus and Shooting Speed: Is Fast Too Much to Expect Here?

Neither camera boasts advanced autofocus systems; both rely on contrast detection with a single-area AF. Don’t expect eye tracking, face detection, or continuous autofocus capabilities. They’re designed for casual use more than sports or wildlife.

Surprisingly, Pentax offers a shutter speed range of 2 to 1/2000 second, offering slightly better low and high shutter extremes compared to Olympus’ 4 to 1/1000 second. This might help with brighter lighting conditions or creative motion freezes.

Continuous shooting speeds are low too: Pentax manages roughly 1 frame per second, while Olympus doesn't specify any burst mode - meaning it’s basically single shot or no shot.

Zoom Lenses: A Tale of Two Focal Ranges

The Olympus offers a 38-114mm equivalent zoom (3x optical), which tends to favor slightly longer telephoto reach. Meanwhile, Pentax's 32-96mm gives a bit wider angle but shorter telephoto range.

Lens aperture:

• Olympus: f/3.5-5.0
• Pentax: f/2.9-5.2

Pentax wins on maximum aperture at the wide end (f/2.9), giving a marginal advantage for low-light snapshots or shallower depth-of-field. However, without actual manual aperture controls or exposure priority modes, this advantage mostly translates to better exposure handling than creative bokeh effects.

Stepping Into Real-World Genres

Now, how do these two translate into practical applications? Let's break it down across key photography styles, based on my own shooting experience with similar compacts of this generation.

Portrait Photography

Neither camera supports face or eye detection autofocus, nor do they allow manual selection of focus points, which means you’re largely at the mercy of the central AF area.

The Pentax’s slightly faster wide aperture can offer a bit more background blur at the 32mm focal length, but at these tiny sensor sizes, achieving truly creamy bokeh is a challenge. Skin tone rendition was fairly neutral on Olympus but slightly warmer and more flattering on Pentax, though colors needed mild tweaking in post to avoid looking flat.

Landscape Photography

Given the almost identical sensor size and limited dynamic range, don't expect epic landscape images straight out of these cameras. The higher-resolution sensor on Pentax (12MP vs 10MP) is a small plus for larger prints or cropping, but you pay in noise performance at sensitivity beyond ISO 200.

Olympus gains a slight upper hand here with its slight weather sealing - helpful in unpredictable outdoor conditions. Also, the wider telephoto on Olympus helps isolate interesting distant subjects among a range with little distortion; Pentax provides a wider base focal length, arguably better for sweeping vistas.

Wildlife Photography

Frankly, both cameras fall short for demanding wildlife captures - their sluggish contrast detection AF, slow continuous shooting speeds, and limited telephoto reach mean you’ll miss fast-moving critters or detailed feathers.

If all you want are casual snapshots of pets or stationary animals, either works, but Olympus's digital image stabilization may reduce shake when zoomed in, albeit with a potential softening effect.

Olympus 550WP front Olympus 550WP screen back Pentax E85 front Pentax E85 screen back

Here you can see sample images taken under similar daylight conditions - spot the subtle difference in sharpness and color rendition between Pentax and Olympus, as well as how zoom range affects framing.

Sports Photography

Both cameras’ low burst rate (Pentax: ~1 fps; Olympus: no continuous mode) makes them unfit for action-packed sports shoots. AF lag and lack of tracking compound this. If sports is a priority, even budget entry-level DSLRs or mirrorless cameras from that era perform drastically better.

Street Photography

Now, this is where these compacts potentially shine. Small size equals less intimidation factor; the Olympus with weather sealing offers a reliability edge in variable outdoor urban settings.

The Pentax’s lighter weight and slightly more compact profile make it discreet, but its lack of image stabilization could be an issue handheld in low-light scenarios.

Their silent shutter modes are also absent, so anticipate some shutter noise - something to consider if you want to be unobtrusive for candid street moments.

Macro Photography

Olympus claims a close focus of 7cm, which is pretty tight and makes it theoretically better for close-up shots compared to Pentax’s 10cm. Combined with digital stabilization, the Olympus 550WP offers an easier macro shooting experience, though depth of field remains shallow due to small sensor size.

Precision focus is manual-heavy here, given no focus bracketing or stacking options exist.

Night/Astro Photography

Small sensors and limited ISO sensitivity cap their night photography capabilities. Pentax goes to ISO 3200 versus Olympus’ 1600 max, which on paper sounds promising. But high noise overwhelms details, especially without stabilization or long exposure modes.

Neither supports bulb mode or tethered shooting, limiting astrophotography attempts unless you're willing to manually time exposures with a remote trigger.

Video and Multimedia Use

Both cameras offer rudimentary video capture: motion JPEG at 640x480 resolution (VGA) at 30fps - quite modest even for 2009 standards.

Neither sports microphone ports, headphone jacks, nor HDMI outputs. So for casual, low-spec video snippets, they suffice; for serious video use, look elsewhere.

Battery, Storage, and Connectivity

Battery capacity details are opaque, but Pentax uses D-LI95 rechargeable lithium-ion batteries - fairly standard and replaceable. Olympus likely uses proprietary batteries but lacks data on battery life, which in my experience of similar models averages around 300 shots.

Storage-wise, Olympus requires the less common xD-Picture Card or microSD cards, Pentax sticks to the ubiquitous SD/SDHC cards, simplifying memory management.

Both cameras lack Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC, or GPS - no surprises given the era - inhibiting instant sharing or geotagging.

Toughness and Environmental Sealing

Here, Olympus clearly targets the rugged, outdoor adventurer with partial weather sealing. It’s neither fully waterproof nor shockproof, but dust and moisture resistance can make a tangible difference in field usage. Pentax doesn’t claim any sealing, so exercise caution in damp or dusty environments.

Price and Value: What Does Your Dollar Buy?

Olympus launched around $399, while no official price was widely listed for Pentax E85, making it a budget-friendly alternative by comparison. Given both are a decade-plus old, you'll primarily encounter used or clearance units - so pricing depends more on market availability than original MSRP.

To sum up performance holistically across all usage, the Olympus Stylus 550WP generally scores slightly higher due to weather sealing, image stabilization, and a slightly better build. Pentax Optio E85 excels modestly in resolution and aperture but misses out on IS or sealing.

Breaking down by photographic discipline, Olympus tends to edge ahead in outdoor adventure photography and macro; Pentax suits casual daylight photography and general snapshots with a slight resolution boost.

The Bottom Line: Which Should You Choose?

Choose the Olympus Stylus 550WP if:

• You prioritize durability and some weather protection for outdoor or travel usage.
• You want image stabilization to help with handheld shots in low light or telephoto zoom.
• Macro shooting and occasional rough handling are on your agenda.
• You don’t mind slightly bulkier form factor for better ruggedness.

Lean toward the Pentax Optio E85 if:

• You're budget-conscious and want more megapixels for cropping or large prints.
• You prefer a slightly wider angle to start your zoom range (32mm vs 38mm).
• Weight and size are key to your portability needs.
• You shoot mainly in good light and don’t require IS or weather sealing.

Closing Thoughts from the Field

Shooting with both cameras reminded me how much compact cameras have evolved - and how much they still serve a niche audience. Neither excels in creative control by modern standards, but they can fill roles where simple, point-and-shoot reliability is needed.

I found Olympus’s ruggedness genuinely reassuring. There were moments photographing damp forest trails where I'd rather trust the 550WP than expose the Pentax to moisture. On the flip side, Pentax's sharper images under bright conditions and lighter feel make it better suited to casual daytime snapshots or street shooting when discretion and weight matter.

If it were me, expecting these cameras to handle advanced genres like sports, wildlife, or professional work would be a stretch. But for a no-fuss companion camera for hiking, travel, or family events - either could do the job, with the choice boiled down to ruggedness versus resolution preference.

Final Recommendation

For enthusiasts dabbling in travel and landscape shooting who want more durability and a touch of macro capability, the Olympus Stylus 550WP is the better pick despite compromises in resolution and aperture.

For beginners or casual users who want straightforward operation, a lightweight profile, and a bit more megapixels for viewing or printing, the Pentax Optio E85 offers solid value at a usually lower cost.

Hope this comparative look at two cameras from 2009 sheds light on your compact camera curiosity. Remember, small sensor compacts have limitations - but armed with real-world knowledge, you can still make the most of them. Happy shooting!