Olympus 550WP vs Sony NEX-3N

The following is a in-depth assessment of the Olympus 550WP and Sony NEX-3N, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by companies Olympus and Sony. There is a large difference among the resolutions of the 550WP (10MP) and NEX-3N (16MP) and the 550WP (1/2.3") and NEX-3N (APS-C) possess totally different sensor measurements.

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The 550WP was launched 5 years before the NEX-3N which is a fairly serious difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both cameras come with different body type with the Olympus 550WP being a Compact camera and the Sony NEX-3N being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before we go in to a thorough comparison, below is a brief view of how the 550WP matches up vs the NEX-3N with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

The following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus Stylus 550WP & Sony Alpha NEX-3N. The complete galleries are viewable at Olympus 550WP Gallery & Sony NEX-3N Gallery.

In case you're aiming to travel with your camera often, you should take into account its weight and volume. The Olympus 550WP comes with 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 Sony NEX-3N has sizing of 110mm x 62mm x 35mm (4.3" x 2.4" x 1.4") accompanied by a weight of 269 grams (0.59 lbs).

Examine the Olympus 550WP and Sony NEX-3N in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you use during that time. Below is the front view dimension comparison of the 550WP compared to the NEX-3N.

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

Generally, it is very difficult to visualise the contrast in sensor dimensions just by checking out technical specs. The image here should give you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the 550WP and NEX-3N.

As you can tell, the 2 cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The 550WP because of its smaller sensor will make shooting bokeh harder and the Sony NEX-3N will produce extra detail utilizing its extra 6MP. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop photographs somewhat more aggressively. The more aged 550WP will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor tech.