Olympus 550WP vs Sony A99

Following is a comprehensive comparison of the Olympus 550WP and Sony A99, one is a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Advanced DSLR by competitors Olympus and Sony. There exists a huge gap between the sensor resolutions of the 550WP (10MP) and A99 (24MP) and the 550WP (1/2.3") and A99 (Full frame) enjoy different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The 550WP was unveiled 4 years prior to the A99 which is quite a significant gap as far as technology is concerned. Both of these cameras offer different body type with the Olympus 550WP being a Compact camera and the Sony A99 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before delving through a thorough comparison, below is a simple overview of how the 550WP grades versus the A99 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Following is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus Stylus 550WP and Sony SLT-A99. The full galleries are viewable at Olympus 550WP Gallery and Sony A99 Gallery.

If you are looking to carry around your camera often, you'll need to think about its weight and proportions. The Olympus 550WP comes with outside measurements of 94mm x 62mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.4" x 0.9") having a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs) whilst the Sony A99 has measurements of 147mm x 111mm x 78mm (5.8" x 4.4" x 3.1") accompanied by a weight of 812 grams (1.79 lbs).

See the Olympus 550WP and Sony A99 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you are utilizing at that time. Here is the front view dimension comparison of the 550WP against the A99.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the 550WP and A99 is 94 and 57 respectively.

Typically, it is very tough to picture the contrast between sensor sizes simply by reading specifications. The image underneath may offer you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the 550WP and A99.

To sum up, both cameras enjoy different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The 550WP having a tinier sensor is going to make achieving shallower depth of field harder and the Sony A99 will deliver more detail having an extra 14 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also allow you to crop photos far more aggressively. The more aged 550WP is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor tech.