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Olympus 7030 vs Sony A550

Portability
95
Imaging
36
Features
27
Overall
32
Olympus Stylus 7030 front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 front
Portability
63
Imaging
53
Features
65
Overall
57

Olympus 7030 vs Sony A550 Key Specs

Olympus 7030
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 64 - 1600
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 28-196mm (F3.0-5.9) lens
  • 140g - 93 x 56 x 26mm
  • Launched January 2010
  • Other Name is mju 7030
Sony A550
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 200 - 12800
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 632g - 137 x 104 x 84mm
  • Revealed December 2009
  • Superseded the Sony A100
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Olympus 7030 vs Sony A550 Overview

On this page, we are contrasting the Olympus 7030 versus Sony A550, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by competitors Olympus and Sony. The sensor resolution of the 7030 (14MP) and the A550 (14MP) is fairly well matched but the 7030 (1/2.3") and A550 (APS-C) boast totally different sensor sizing.

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The 7030 was launched at a similar time to the A550 which means that they are both of a similar age. Both cameras have different body design with the Olympus 7030 being a Compact camera and the Sony A550 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving straight to a in depth comparison, here is a simple summation of how the 7030 grades against the A550 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus 7030 over the Sony A550

 7030 A550 

Reasons to pick Sony A550 over the Olympus 7030

 A550 7030 
Manual focus Very exact focusing
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display dimensions3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution922k230kCrisper display (+692k dot)

Common features in the Olympus 7030 and Sony A550

 7030 A550 
RevealedJanuary 2010December 2009Similar age
Selfie screen Neither provides selfie screen
Touch friendly display Absent Touch friendly display

Olympus 7030 vs Sony A550 Physical Comparison

For those who are intending to carry your camera frequently, you need to think about its weight and size. The Olympus 7030 provides outside dimensions of 93mm x 56mm x 26mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 1.0") and a weight of 140 grams (0.31 lbs) and the Sony A550 has specifications of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") accompanied by a weight of 632 grams (1.39 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus 7030 versus Sony A550 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you are utilizing at the time. The following is a front view sizing comparison of the 7030 versus the A550.

Olympus 7030 vs Sony A550 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the 7030 and A550 is 95 and 63 respectively.

Olympus 7030 vs Sony A550 top view buttons comparison

Olympus 7030 vs Sony A550 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it's difficult to visualise the contrast between sensor sizing purely by looking at specs. The visual here will offer you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the 7030 and A550.

All in all, both of these cameras have the same megapixel count but not the same sensor sizing. The 7030 contains the tinier sensor which should make obtaining shallower depth of field more challenging.

Olympus 7030 vs Sony A550 sensor size comparison

Olympus 7030 vs Sony A550 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus 7030 vs Sony A550 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus 7030 Portrait photography information
Sony A550 Portrait photography information
28
decent MP (14MP)
manual focus not available
manual mode not possible
cannot use external flash
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
71
has manual focus
resolution is good (14MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
supports face detection autofocus
saves RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus 7030 Street photography highlights
Sony A550 Street photography highlights
57
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
no articulating screen
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
74
tilting screen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
saves RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus 7030
Sports photography with Sony A550
39
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent MP (14MP)
has tracking autofocus
max frames per second very slow (1.0 fps)
no shutter priority
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no phase detect autofocus
66
image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (14MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
supports phase detect autofocus
not so great battery (480 CIPA)
Photography Glossary

Travel Comparison

Olympus 7030 Travel photography highlights
Sony A550 Travel photography highlights
65
decent MP (14 megapixels)
has built in flash
really wide (28mm)
lack of Timelapse recording
screen is not selfie friendly
sluggish max aperture (f3.0)
51
resolution is good (14MP)
built-in flash
doesn't have Timelapse function
not so great battery (480 shots)
display isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus 7030 Landscape photography info
Sony A550 Landscape photography info
37
really wide (28mm)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent MP (14MP)
manual focus not available
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.0)
screen is small (2.7 inches)
manual mode not possible
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
lack of Timelapse recording
66
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
nice screen size (3")
image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (14 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
saves RAW files
not so great battery (480 per charge)
doesn't have Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus 7030
Vlogging with Sony A550
29
really wide (28mm)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
sluggish max aperture (f3.0)
screen is not selfie friendly
video res low (640 x 480 resolution)
lack of external microphone jack
9
can't record video
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Olympus 7030 vs Sony A550 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus 7030 and Sony A550
 Olympus Stylus 7030Sony Alpha DSLR-A550
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Sony
Model Olympus Stylus 7030 Sony Alpha DSLR-A550
Alternative name mju 7030 -
Class Small Sensor Compact Entry-Level DSLR
Launched 2010-01-07 2009-12-09
Physical type Compact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic III Bionz
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor measurements 6.08 x 4.56mm 23.4 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 27.7mm² 365.0mm²
Sensor resolution 14 megapixels 14 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 16:9 and 4:3 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4288 x 3216 4592 x 3056
Highest native ISO 1600 12800
Lowest native ISO 64 200
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Number of focus points - 9
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens focal range 28-196mm (7.0x) -
Max aperture f/3.0-5.9 -
Macro focus distance 2cm -
Number of lenses - 143
Focal length multiplier 5.9 1.5
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Tilting
Display sizing 2.7 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 230 thousand dots 922 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder coverage - 95%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.53x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 4s 30s
Maximum shutter speed 1/2000s 1/4000s
Continuous shooting rate 1.0fps 7.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 5.70 m 12.00 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Fill-in Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize - 1/160s
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) -
Highest video resolution 640x480 None
Video format Motion JPEG -
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 140 gr (0.31 lb) 632 gr (1.39 lb)
Physical dimensions 93 x 56 x 26mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 1.0") 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested 66
DXO Color Depth score not tested 21.9
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 11.8
DXO Low light score not tested 807
Other
Battery life - 480 photographs
Type of battery - Battery Pack
Battery model - NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 seconds) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SC/SDHC, Internal SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots One One
Retail pricing $179 $749