Olympus 550WP vs Sony NEX-3

Its time to look more closely at the Olympus 550WP vs Sony NEX-3, one is a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by competitors Olympus and Sony. There is a sizeable difference between the resolutions of the 550WP (10MP) and NEX-3 (14MP) and the 550WP (1/2.3") and NEX-3 (APS-C) posses different sensor sizes.

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The 550WP was brought out 17 months earlier than the NEX-3 which makes them a generation away from each other. Both cameras feature different body design with the Olympus 550WP being a Compact camera and the Sony NEX-3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting right into a more detailed comparison, here is a short overview of how the 550WP grades against the NEX-3 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

The following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus Stylus 550WP and Sony Alpha NEX-3. The entire galleries are available at Olympus 550WP Gallery and Sony NEX-3 Gallery.

For anyone who is intending to carry around your camera regularly, you'll have to factor in its weight and size. The Olympus 550WP features external 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) while the Sony NEX-3 has specifications of 117mm x 62mm x 33mm (4.6" x 2.4" x 1.3") with a weight of 297 grams (0.65 lbs).

Examine the Olympus 550WP vs Sony NEX-3 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you have at that moment. Below is a front view overall size comparison of the 550WP and the NEX-3.

Using size and weight, the portability score of the 550WP and NEX-3 is 94 and 89 respectively.

Often, it can be hard to picture the contrast between sensor sizes purely by going over specs. The picture below should offer you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the 550WP and NEX-3.

All in all, both of the cameras feature different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The 550WP because of its tinier sensor is going to make getting bokeh more difficult and the Sony NEX-3 will offer more detail having its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop pictures way more aggressively. The more aged 550WP is going to be disadvantaged in sensor technology.