Olympus 7040 vs Sony A550

Below is a in depth review of the Olympus 7040 and 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 7040 (14MP) and the A550 (14MP) is very well matched but the 7040 (1/2.3") and A550 (APS-C) offer totally different sensor sizes.

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The 7040 was unveiled at a similar time to the A550 which means that they are both of a similar age. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus 7040 being a Compact camera and the Sony A550 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before delving straight to a in-depth comparison, here is a quick summary of how the 7040 grades against the A550 for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus Stylus 7040 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A550. The full galleries are viewable at Olympus 7040 Gallery & Sony A550 Gallery.

In case you're planning to lug around your camera frequently, you have to consider its weight and proportions. The Olympus 7040 provides external dimensions of 95mm x 56mm x 26mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 1.0") accompanied by a weight of 144 grams (0.32 lbs) while the Sony A550 has measurements of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") and a weight of 632 grams (1.39 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus 7040 and Sony A550 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you have chosen at that moment. Here is a front view scale comparison of the 7040 and the A550.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the 7040 and A550 is 95 and 63 respectively.

Sometimes, it is tough to visualise the contrast between sensor measurements purely by reading through a spec sheet. The photograph underneath will help offer you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the 7040 and A550.

Clearly, both of the cameras come with the identical megapixel count but not the same sensor measurements. The 7040 offers the tinier sensor which is going to make achieving shallower depth of field more difficult.