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Olympus Tough-3000 vs Sony A550

Portability
94
Imaging
35
Features
26
Overall
31
Olympus Stylus Tough-3000 front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 front
Portability
63
Imaging
54
Features
65
Overall
58

Olympus Tough-3000 vs Sony A550 Key Specs

Olympus Tough-3000
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 64 - 1600
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-102mm (F3.5-5.1) lens
  • 159g - 96 x 65 x 23mm
  • Revealed January 2010
  • Alternative Name is mju Tough 3000
Sony A550
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 200 - 12800
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 632g - 137 x 104 x 84mm
  • Introduced December 2009
  • Succeeded the Sony A100
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Olympus Tough-3000 vs Sony A550 Overview

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.

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Reasons to pick Olympus Tough-3000 over the Sony A550

 Tough-3000 A550 

Reasons to pick Sony A550 over the Olympus Tough-3000

 A550 Tough-3000 
Manual focus Very exact focus
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen dimension3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution922k230kClearer screen (+692k dot)

Common features in the Olympus Tough-3000 and Sony A550

 Tough-3000 A550 
IntroducedJanuary 2010December 2009Same generation
Selfie screen No selfie screen
Touch screen No Touch screen

Olympus Tough-3000 vs Sony A550 Physical Comparison

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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Olympus Tough-3000 vs Sony A550 size comparison

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

Olympus Tough-3000 vs Sony A550 top view buttons comparison

Olympus Tough-3000 vs Sony A550 Sensor Comparison

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.

Olympus Tough-3000 vs Sony A550 sensor size comparison

Olympus Tough-3000 vs Sony A550 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus Tough-3000 vs Sony A550 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus Tough-3000 Portrait photography info
Sony A550 Portrait photography info
21
lack of manual focus
no manual exposure
no external flash support
low MP (12MP)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
72
focusing manually
good megapixels (14MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
includes face detect autofocus
delivers RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus Tough-3000 Street photography info
Sony A550 Street photography info
62
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
environment proofing
screen does not articulate
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
74
screen tilts up and down
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
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Sports Comparison

Olympus Tough-3000 Sports photography information
Sony A550 Sports photography information
36
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
has tracking autofocus
environment proofing
very slow continuous shooting (1.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority
low MP (12MP)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
67
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good megapixels (14MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
comes with phase detect autofocus
bad battery life (480 CIPA)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus Tough-3000 Travel photography factors
Sony A550 Travel photography factors
61
environment proofing
flash built-in
decently wide (28mm)
does not have Time Lapse mode
low MP (12MP)
display is not selfie friendly
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
52
good megapixels (14 megapixels)
flash built-in
does not have Time Lapse recording
bad battery life (480 per charge)
display is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus Tough-3000 Landscape photography details
Sony A550 Landscape photography details
35
decently wide (28mm)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
environment proofing
lack of manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
tiny screen (2.7")
no manual exposure
low MP (12 megapixels)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
does not have Time Lapse mode
66
focusing manually
switch lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen is a good size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good megapixels (14MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
bad battery life (480 per charge)
does not have Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus Tough-3000 as a Vlogging camera
Sony A550 as a Vlogging camera
28
decently wide (28mm)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
display is not selfie friendly
video resolution low (1280 x 720 pixels)
does not have external mic port
9
no video recording
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Olympus Tough-3000 vs Sony A550 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus Tough-3000 and Sony A550
 Olympus Stylus Tough-3000Sony Alpha DSLR-A550
General Information
Company Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus Stylus Tough-3000 Sony Alpha DSLR-A550
Otherwise known as mju Tough 3000 -
Type Waterproof Entry-Level DSLR
Revealed 2010-01-07 2009-12-09
Physical type Compact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic III Bionz
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor dimensions 6.08 x 4.56mm 23.4 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 27.7mm² 365.0mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 14MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 3968 x 2976 4592 x 3056
Max native ISO 1600 12800
Lowest native ISO 64 200
RAW format
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
Tracking AF
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points - 9
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens zoom range 28-102mm (3.6x) -
Highest aperture f/3.5-5.1 -
Macro focusing range 2cm -
Total lenses - 143
Crop factor 5.9 1.5
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Tilting
Display size 2.7" 3"
Display resolution 230k dots 922k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder coverage - 95 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.53x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 4s 30s
Fastest shutter speed 1/2000s 1/4000s
Continuous shutter rate 1.0 frames/s 7.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 4.00 m 12.00 m
Flash settings 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
Fastest flash synchronize - 1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps) 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps) -
Max video resolution 1280x720 None
Video format MPEG-4 -
Mic 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
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 159 gr (0.35 pounds) 632 gr (1.39 pounds)
Dimensions 96 x 65 x 23mm (3.8" x 2.6" x 0.9") 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested 66
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 21.9
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 11.8
DXO Low light rating not tested 807
Other
Battery life - 480 photos
Battery style - Battery Pack
Battery ID - NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 seconds) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC, Internal SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots One One
Pricing at release $0 $749