Olympus Tough-3000 vs Sony A550
94 Imaging
35 Features
26 Overall
31
63 Imaging
54 Features
65 Overall
58
Olympus Tough-3000 vs Sony A550 Key Specs
(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
(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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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.
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music videoThe 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.
Photography Glossary Olympus Tough-3000 vs Sony A550 Gallery
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.
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 type | Tilting |  | Fixed | Tilting screen |
| Screen dimension | 3" |  | 2.7" | Bigger screen (+0.3") |
| Screen resolution | 922k |  | 230k | Clearer screen (+692k dot) |
Common features in the Olympus Tough-3000 and Sony A550
| Tough-3000 | A550 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Introduced | January 2010 |  | December 2009 | Same 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.
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.
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 Screen and ViewFinder
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Olympus Tough-3000 vs Sony A550 Specifications
| Olympus Stylus Tough-3000 | Sony 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 |