Clicky

Olympus 8000 vs Sony A55

Portability
94
Imaging
35
Features
21
Overall
29
Olympus Stylus Tough 8000 front
 
Sony SLT-A55 front
Portability
67
Imaging
56
Features
80
Overall
65

Olympus 8000 vs Sony A55 Key Specs

Olympus 8000
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 64 - 1600
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 28-102mm (F3.5-5.1) lens
  • 182g - 95 x 62 x 22mm
  • Released July 2009
  • Also referred to as mju Tough 8000
Sony A55
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 100 - 12800 (Boost to 25600)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 500g - 124 x 92 x 85mm
  • Revealed August 2010
  • Later Model is Sony A57
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Olympus 8000 vs Sony A55 Overview

Here is a detailed analysis of the Olympus 8000 and Sony A55, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. There exists a considerable gap among the resolutions of the 8000 (12MP) and A55 (16MP) and the 8000 (1/2.3") and A55 (APS-C) have different sensor measurements.

Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

The 8000 was revealed 13 months earlier than the A55 which makes them a generation apart from one another. Both of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus 8000 being a Compact camera and the Sony A55 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving into a full comparison, here is a short highlight of how the 8000 scores vs the A55 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus 8000 over the Sony A55

 8000 A55 

Reasons to pick Sony A55 over the Olympus 8000

 A55 8000 
RevealedAugust 2010July 2009Fresher by 13 months
Focus manually More exact focus
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen size3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution921k230kClearer screen (+691k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies

Common features in the Olympus 8000 and Sony A55

 8000 A55 
Touch friendly screen No Touch friendly screen

Olympus 8000 vs Sony A55 Physical Comparison

For those who are intending to carry your camera, you have to factor in its weight and measurements. The Olympus 8000 enjoys external measurements of 95mm x 62mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.4" x 0.9") along with a weight of 182 grams (0.40 lbs) while the Sony A55 has proportions of 124mm x 92mm x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3") accompanied by a weight of 500 grams (1.10 lbs).

Examine the Olympus 8000 and Sony A55 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you use during that time. Here is a front view overall size comparison of the 8000 and the A55.

Olympus 8000 vs Sony A55 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the 8000 and A55 is 94 and 67 respectively.

Olympus 8000 vs Sony A55 top view buttons comparison

Olympus 8000 vs Sony A55 Sensor Comparison

Typically, it can be difficult to visualize the gap in sensor sizing purely by checking out a spec sheet. The photograph here will help provide you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the 8000 and A55.

As you can see, both of these cameras feature different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The 8000 with its smaller sensor is going to make achieving shallower DOF more challenging and the Sony A55 will produce extra detail because of its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop pictures way more aggressively. The older 8000 will be behind when it comes to sensor tech.

Olympus 8000 vs Sony A55 sensor size comparison

Olympus 8000 vs Sony A55 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus 8000 vs Sony A55 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus 8000 Portrait photography information
Sony A55 Portrait photography information
21
manual focus not available
lack of manual mode
external flash not possible
low megapixels (12MP)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
73
manual focus
good MP (16MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
offers face detect focusing
supports RAW files
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Street Comparison

Olympus 8000 Street photography advice
Sony A55 Street photography advice
62
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
weather proof
fixed screen
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
77
fully articulated screen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
supports RAW files
Photography Glossary

Sports Comparison

Olympus 8000 as a Sports photography camera
Sony A55 as a Sports photography camera
34
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
weather proof
lack of shutter priority mode
low megapixels (12MP)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
68
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good MP (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
comes with phase detect AF
terrible battery pack (380 shots)
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus 8000
Travel photography with Sony A55
61
weather proof
has built in flash
quite wide (28mm)
doesn't have Time Lapse function
low megapixels (12MP)
display is not selfie friendly
slow max aperture (f3.5)
62
good MP (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
screen is selfie friendly
doesn't have Timelapse recording
terrible battery pack (380 per charge)
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Landscape Comparison

Olympus 8000 Landscape photography details
Sony A55 Landscape photography details
35
quite wide (28mm)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
weather proof
manual focus not available
can't swap lens (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.5)
screen is small (2.7 inch)
lack of manual mode
low megapixels (12MP)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
doesn't have Time Lapse function
67
manual focus
switch lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen is a good size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good MP (16MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
supports RAW files
terrible battery pack (380 shots)
doesn't have Timelapse recording
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus 8000 as a Vlogging camera
Sony A55 as a Vlogging camera
28
quite wide (28mm)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
slow max aperture (f3.5)
display is not selfie friendly
video res low (640 x 480 resolution)
doesn't have mic port
78
screen is selfie friendly
image stabilization (Sensor based)
offers face detect focusing
video res high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
does have microphone jack
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

Olympus 8000 vs Sony A55 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus 8000 and Sony A55
 Olympus Stylus Tough 8000Sony SLT-A55
General Information
Make Olympus Sony
Model Olympus Stylus Tough 8000 Sony SLT-A55
Other name mju Tough 8000 -
Type Small Sensor Compact Entry-Level DSLR
Released 2009-07-01 2010-08-24
Body design Compact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Chip - Bionz
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor measurements 6.08 x 4.56mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 27.7mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 16:9, 4:3 and 3:2 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 3968 x 2976 4912 x 3264
Max native ISO 1600 12800
Max enhanced ISO - 25600
Minimum native ISO 64 100
RAW support
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Number of focus points - 15
Cross focus points - 3
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens focal range 28-102mm (3.6x) -
Maximum aperture f/3.5-5.1 -
Macro focus distance 2cm -
Total lenses - 143
Crop factor 5.9 1.5
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Display size 2.7 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 230 thousand dot 921 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,150 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.73x
Features
Min shutter speed 1/4s 30s
Max shutter speed 1/2000s 1/4000s
Continuous shutter speed - 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 4.00 m 10.00 m (@ ISO 100)
Flash settings Auto, Fill-in, Red-Eye reduction, Off, On Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Max flash sync - 1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60, 29.97 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 640 x 424 (29.97 fps)
Max video resolution 640x480 1920x1080
Video data format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 182 grams (0.40 lb) 500 grams (1.10 lb)
Physical dimensions 95 x 62 x 22mm (3.7" x 2.4" x 0.9") 124 x 92 x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested 73
DXO Color Depth score not tested 23.0
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 12.4
DXO Low light score not tested 816
Other
Battery life - 380 images
Form of battery - Battery Pack
Battery model - NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (12 seconds) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage media xD Picture Card, microSD Card, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots 1 1
Cost at release $380 $800