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Olympus 550WP vs Sony A500

Portability
94
Imaging
33
Features
17
Overall
26
Olympus Stylus 550WP front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 front
Portability
63
Imaging
52
Features
52
Overall
52

Olympus 550WP vs Sony A500 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
Sony A500
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 200 - 12800
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 630g - 137 x 104 x 84mm
  • Revealed August 2009
  • Updated by Sony A560
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Olympus 550WP vs Sony A500 Overview

Its time to look more closely at the Olympus 550WP versus Sony A500, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by competitors Olympus and Sony. The sensor resolution of the 550WP (10MP) and the A500 (12MP) is pretty well matched but the 550WP (1/2.3") and A500 (APS-C) boast different sensor dimensions.

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The 550WP was released 7 months prior to the A500 which means that they are both of a similar age. Both of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus 550WP being a Compact camera and the Sony A500 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before delving right into a comprehensive comparison, here is a simple synopsis of how the 550WP matches up vs the A500 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus 550WP over the Sony A500

 550WP A500 

Reasons to pick Sony A500 over the Olympus 550WP

 A500 550WP 
RevealedAugust 2009January 2009More recent by 7 months
Manually focus Dial precise focusing
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen size3"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.5")

Common features in the Olympus 550WP and Sony A500

 550WP A500 
Screen resolution230k230kIdentical screen resolution
Selfie screen Neither has selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Absent Touch friendly screen

Olympus 550WP vs Sony A500 Physical Comparison

For those who are aiming to lug around your camera regularly, you are going to need to factor its weight and size. The Olympus 550WP has external dimensions of 94mm x 62mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.4" x 0.9") with a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs) whilst the Sony A500 has specifications of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") with a weight of 630 grams (1.39 lbs).

Examine the Olympus 550WP versus Sony A500 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you are working with at the time. The following is a front view over all size comparison of the 550WP versus the A500.

Olympus 550WP vs Sony A500 size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability score of the 550WP and A500 is 94 and 63 respectively.

Olympus 550WP vs Sony A500 top view buttons comparison

Olympus 550WP vs Sony A500 Sensor Comparison

In many cases, it is tough to visualize the gap between sensor measurements merely by looking at a spec sheet. The graphic below will help provide you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the 550WP and A500.

As you can see, both of the cameras come with different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The 550WP featuring a tinier sensor is going to make shooting shallower DOF more challenging and the Sony A500 will give extra detail as a result of its extra 2MP. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop pictures a good deal more aggressively. The older 550WP is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.

Olympus 550WP vs Sony A500 sensor size comparison

Olympus 550WP vs Sony A500 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus 550WP vs Sony A500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus 550WP Portrait photography info
Sony A500 Portrait photography info
19
no manual focus
manual exposure not available
cannot use external flash
sensor resolution low (10 megapixels)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
63
has manual focus
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
supports face detection focusing
delivers RAW formats
low megapixels (12MP)
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Street Comparison

Olympus 550WP Street photography highlights
Sony A500 Street photography highlights
61
has image stabilization (Digital)
environment proof
no moving screen
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
74
has a tilting screen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus 550WP
Sports photography with Sony A500
30
has image stabilization (Digital)
environment proof
maximum shutter speed is a little low (1/1,000 seconds)
no shutter priority
sensor resolution low (10 megapixels)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
51
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
sensor has phase detect AF
very slow continuous shooting (5.0 frames per second)
low megapixels (12MP)
low battery life (520 per charge)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus 550WP Travel photography advice
Sony A500 Travel photography advice
55
environment proof
has built in flash
lack of Timelapse function
sensor resolution low (10MP)
doesn't have selfie friendly display
wide angle not fantastic (38mm)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
43
has built in flash
no Time Lapse mode
low battery life (520 shots)
low megapixels (12MP)
does not offer selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus 550WP
Landscape photography with Sony A500
30
has image stabilization (Digital)
environment proof
no manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not fantastic (38mm)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
tiny screen (2.5")
manual exposure not available
sensor resolution low (10MP)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
lack of Timelapse function
60
has manual focus
change lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen is a decent size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
low megapixels (12MP)
low battery life (520 CIPA)
no Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus 550WP Vlogging factors
Sony A500 Vlogging factors
25
has image stabilization (Digital)
wide angle not fantastic (38mm)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
doesn't have selfie friendly display
video res low (640 x 480 pixels)
lack of external microphone port
9
can't shoot video
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Olympus 550WP vs Sony A500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus 550WP and Sony A500
 Olympus Stylus 550WPSony Alpha DSLR-A500
General Information
Make Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus Stylus 550WP Sony Alpha DSLR-A500
Otherwise known as mju 550WP -
Category Small Sensor Compact Entry-Level DSLR
Released 2009-01-07 2009-08-27
Physical type Compact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Chip - Bionz
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor dimensions 6.08 x 4.56mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 27.7mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 10MP 12MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 16:9, 4:3 and 3:2 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 3648 x 2736 4272 x 2848
Max native ISO 1600 12800
Lowest native ISO 64 200
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Total focus points - 9
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens zoom range 38-114mm (3.0x) -
Maximum aperture f/3.5-5.0 -
Macro focusing distance 7cm -
Amount of lenses - 143
Crop factor 5.9 1.5
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Tilting
Screen sizing 2.5" 3"
Screen resolution 230k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder coverage - 95 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.53x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 4 seconds 30 seconds
Fastest shutter speed 1/1000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shutter rate - 5.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation - Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance - 12.00 m
Flash options Auto, Fill-in, Red-Eye reduction, Off, On Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize - 1/160 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps) -
Max video resolution 640x480 None
Video data format Motion JPEG -
Mic support
Headphone support
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 proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 167 grams (0.37 pounds) 630 grams (1.39 pounds)
Physical dimensions 94 x 62 x 22mm (3.7" x 2.4" x 0.9") 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested 64
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 21.8
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 11.6
DXO Low light rating not tested 772
Other
Battery life - 520 photographs
Type of battery - Battery Pack
Battery ID - NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes (12 seconds) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage xD-Picture Card, microSD, internal SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots One One
Price at release $399 $638