Olympus 550WP vs Sony NEX-C3

Lets look a little more closely at the Olympus 550WP and Sony NEX-C3, one is a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by brands Olympus and Sony. There is a big difference between the resolutions of the 550WP (10MP) and NEX-C3 (16MP) and the 550WP (1/2.3") and NEX-C3 (APS-C) feature totally different sensor sizes.

Photography Glossary

The 550WP was revealed 3 years prior to the NEX-C3 which is quite a big gap as far as tech is concerned. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus 550WP being a Compact camera and the Sony NEX-C3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before delving through a comprehensive comparison, below is a concise summary of how the 550WP scores against the NEX-C3 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus Stylus 550WP and Sony Alpha NEX-C3. The full galleries are available at Olympus 550WP Gallery and Sony NEX-C3 Gallery.

In case you're aiming to travel with your camera frequently, you'll have to consider its weight and proportions. The Olympus 550WP comes with exterior dimensions of 94mm x 62mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.4" x 0.9") along with a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs) and the Sony NEX-C3 has measurements of 110mm x 60mm x 33mm (4.3" x 2.4" x 1.3") accompanied by a weight of 225 grams (0.50 lbs).

Check the Olympus 550WP and Sony NEX-C3 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you are employing at that time. Here is the front view size comparison of the 550WP and the NEX-C3.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability rating of the 550WP and NEX-C3 is 94 and 91 respectively.

In many cases, it can be hard to see the difference between sensor dimensions merely by going over a spec sheet. The image below will help provide you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the 550WP and NEX-C3.

Clearly, each of the cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The 550WP having a tinier sensor will make achieving bokeh harder and the Sony NEX-C3 will deliver more detail because of its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop pics much more aggressively. The more aged 550WP is going to be behind when it comes to sensor technology.