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Olympus 550WP vs Sony A37

Portability
94
Imaging
32
Features
17
Overall
26
Olympus Stylus 550WP front
 
Sony SLT-A37 front
Portability
67
Imaging
56
Features
65
Overall
59

Olympus 550WP vs Sony A37 Key Specs

Olympus 550WP
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Display
  • ISO 64 - 1600
  • Digital Image Stabilization
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 38-114mm (F3.5-5.0) lens
  • 167g - 94 x 62 x 22mm
  • Launched January 2009
  • Additionally Known as mju 550WP
Sony A37
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 2.6" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 506g - 124 x 92 x 85mm
  • Launched May 2012
  • Superseded the Sony A35
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Olympus 550WP vs Sony A37 Overview

Its time to look more closely at the Olympus 550WP vs Sony A37, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. There exists a substantial gap among the sensor resolutions of the 550WP (10MP) and A37 (16MP) and the 550WP (1/2.3") and A37 (APS-C) boast different sensor measurements.

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The 550WP was brought out 4 years prior to the A37 which is a fairly big difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both cameras have different body design with the Olympus 550WP being a Compact camera and the Sony A37 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving straight to a detailed comparison, here is a concise summary of how the 550WP scores against the A37 for portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Photography Glossary

        

Reasons to pick Olympus 550WP over the Sony A37

 550WP A37 

Reasons to pick Sony A37 over the Olympus 550WP

 A37 550WP 
LaunchedMay 2012January 2009More modern by 40 months
Manually focus Dial accurate focusing
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display dimensions2.6"2.5"Larger display (+0.1")

Common features in the Olympus 550WP and Sony A37

 550WP A37 
Display resolution230k230kSame display resolution
Selfie screen Neither offers selfie screen
Touch friendly display Neither offers Touch friendly display

Olympus 550WP vs Sony A37 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is intending to carry around your camera regularly, you're going to have to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Olympus 550WP offers physical dimensions of 94mm x 62mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.4" x 0.9") with a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs) and the Sony A37 has dimensions of 124mm x 92mm x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3") with a weight of 506 grams (1.12 lbs).

Check out the Olympus 550WP vs Sony A37 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you are utilising at the time. Here is a front view proportions comparison of the 550WP compared to the A37.

Olympus 550WP vs Sony A37 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the 550WP and A37 is 94 and 67 respectively.

Olympus 550WP vs Sony A37 top view buttons comparison

Olympus 550WP vs Sony A37 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it can be tough to imagine the difference in sensor sizes only by looking through specs. The picture below may provide you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the 550WP and A37.

All in all, both cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The 550WP because of its smaller sensor is going to make shooting shallower DOF more difficult and the Sony A37 will result in greater detail having its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution will allow you to crop images more aggressively. The more aged 550WP will be behind when it comes to sensor tech.

Olympus 550WP vs Sony A37 sensor size comparison

Olympus 550WP vs Sony A37 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus 550WP vs Sony A37 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus 550WP Portrait photography advice
Sony A37 Portrait photography advice
19
lack of manual focus
manual mode not available
cannot use external flash
megapixel count low (10MP)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
73
has manual focus
resolution is good (16MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
has face detect focus
supports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus 550WP as a Street photography camera
Sony A37 as a Street photography camera
61
has image stabilization (Digital)
environment sealing
no articulating screen
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
77
tilting screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
above average high ISO (25,600)
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus 550WP
Sports photography with Sony A37
30
has image stabilization (Digital)
environment sealing
max shutter speed is low (1/1,000 seconds)
no shutter priority
megapixel count low (10 megapixels)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect auto focus
61
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (16MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
comes with phase detect auto focus
low fps (6.0 frames/s)
low battery pack (500 CIPA)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus 550WP Travel photography info
Sony A37 Travel photography info
55
environment sealing
has built in flash
no Time Lapse recording
megapixel count low (10MP)
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
wide angle not good (38mm)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
54
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
does not have Timelapse mode
low battery pack (500 CIPA)
does not offer selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus 550WP Landscape photography features
Sony A37 Landscape photography features
30
has image stabilization (Digital)
environment sealing
lack of manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not good (38mm)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
small screen (2.5 inches)
manual mode not available
megapixel count low (10 megapixels)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
no Time Lapse recording
64
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
above average high ISO (25,600)
supports RAW formats
screen is somewhat small (2.6 inch)
low battery pack (500 shots)
does not have Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus 550WP as a Vlogging camera
Sony A37 as a Vlogging camera
25
has image stabilization (Digital)
wide angle not good (38mm)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
low res video (640 x 480 pixels)
no external mic support
35
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
has face detect focus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
does have microphone socket
does not offer selfie friendly display
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Olympus 550WP vs Sony A37 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus 550WP and Sony A37
 Olympus Stylus 550WPSony SLT-A37
General Information
Brand Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus Stylus 550WP Sony SLT-A37
Also referred to as mju 550WP -
Type Small Sensor Compact Entry-Level DSLR
Launched 2009-01-07 2012-05-16
Physical type Compact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor measurements 6.08 x 4.56mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 27.7mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 10 megapixels 16 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 16:9, 4:3 and 3:2 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 3648 x 2736 4912 x 3264
Max native ISO 1600 25600
Minimum native ISO 64 100
RAW images
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
AF continuous
Single AF
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points - 15
Cross type focus points - 3
Lens
Lens support fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens zoom range 38-114mm (3.0x) -
Max aperture f/3.5-5.0 -
Macro focusing range 7cm -
Available lenses - 143
Crop factor 5.9 1.5
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Tilting
Display sizing 2.5 inches 2.6 inches
Resolution of display 230 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,440 thousand dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.73x
Features
Min shutter speed 4 secs 30 secs
Max shutter speed 1/1000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shutter rate - 6.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation - Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt 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
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Max flash synchronize - 1/160 secs
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60, 29.97 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 640 x 424 (29.97 fps)
Max video resolution 640x480 1920x1080
Video file format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
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 gr (0.37 lb) 506 gr (1.12 lb)
Physical dimensions 94 x 62 x 22mm (3.7" x 2.4" x 0.9") 124 x 92 x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested 75
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 23.3
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 12.9
DXO Low light rating not tested 799
Other
Battery life - 500 photos
Battery type - Battery Pack
Battery ID - NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (12 seconds) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10 sec 3 or 5 images)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage xD-Picture Card, microSD, internal SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots 1 1
Retail pricing $399 $522