Olympus Tough-3000 vs Sony A55

Let's examine more in depth at the Olympus Tough-3000 vs Sony A55, former is a Waterproof while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by rivals Olympus and Sony. There is a considerable difference among the resolutions of the Tough-3000 (12MP) and A55 (16MP) and the Tough-3000 (1/2.3") and A55 (APS-C) enjoy totally different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The Tough-3000 was unveiled 7 months earlier than the A55 and they are of a similar age. Both of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus Tough-3000 being a Compact camera and the Sony A55 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving straight into a comprehensive comparison, below is a concise highlight of how the Tough-3000 matches up against the A55 for portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

The following is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus Stylus Tough-3000 & Sony SLT-A55. The full galleries are provided at Olympus Tough-3000 Gallery & Sony A55 Gallery.

For anyone who is intending to carry around your camera, you are going to need to take into account its weight and size. The Olympus Tough-3000 offers physical measurements 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 A55 has specifications of 124mm x 92mm x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3") accompanied by a weight of 500 grams (1.10 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus Tough-3000 vs Sony A55 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you are using at that moment. Below is the front view physical size comparison of the Tough-3000 against the A55.

Considering size and weight, the portability rating of the Tough-3000 and A55 is 94 and 67 respectively.

Generally, it's hard to visualise the contrast in sensor sizes merely by viewing technical specs. The image below will give you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the Tough-3000 and A55.

As you can tell, both of those cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The Tough-3000 using its smaller sensor will make shooting shallow DOF harder and the Sony A55 will render more detail having an extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also make it easier to crop pics somewhat more aggressively. The more aged Tough-3000 will be disadvantaged in sensor technology.