Olympus Tough-3000 vs Sony A550

Lets look more closely at the Olympus Tough-3000 and Sony A550, one is a Waterproof and the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by competitors Olympus and Sony. The resolution of the Tough-3000 (12MP) and the A550 (14MP) is relatively comparable but the Tough-3000 (1/2.3") and A550 (APS-C) enjoy different sensor sizing.

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The Tough-3000 was unveiled about the same time to the A550 which means that they are of a similar generation. Both cameras come with different body type with the Olympus Tough-3000 being a Compact camera and the Sony A550 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before going straight into a comprehensive comparison, below is a short highlight of how the Tough-3000 matches up versus the A550 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus Stylus Tough-3000 and Sony Alpha DSLR-A550. The full galleries are provided at Olympus Tough-3000 Gallery and Sony A550 Gallery.

For anyone who is planning to carry around your camera frequently, you will have to consider its weight and dimensions. The Olympus Tough-3000 offers exterior dimensions of 96mm x 65mm x 23mm (3.8" x 2.6" x 0.9") and a weight of 159 grams (0.35 lbs) and the Sony A550 has dimensions of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") having a weight of 632 grams (1.39 lbs).

Compare the Olympus Tough-3000 and Sony A550 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you are utilising at that time. Following is the front view overall size comparison of the Tough-3000 against the A550.

Looking at size and weight, the portability grade of the Tough-3000 and A550 is 94 and 63 respectively.

In many cases, it can be tough to visualize the gap in sensor sizes purely by seeing technical specs. The picture below might provide you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the Tough-3000 and A550.

As you have seen, both cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The Tough-3000 with its smaller sensor is going to make getting shallower depth of field more difficult and the Sony A550 will show greater detail having an extra 2MP. Higher resolution will let you crop photographs much more aggressively.