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Olympus TG-850 iHS vs Sony A550

Portability
91
Imaging
40
Features
44
Overall
41
Olympus Stylus Tough TG-850 iHS front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 front
Portability
63
Imaging
54
Features
65
Overall
58

Olympus TG-850 iHS vs Sony A550 Key Specs

Olympus TG-850 iHS
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 125 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 21-105mm (F3.5-5.7) lens
  • 218g - 110 x 64 x 28mm
  • Revealed January 2014
Sony A550
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 200 - 12800
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 632g - 137 x 104 x 84mm
  • Revealed December 2009
  • Superseded the Sony A100
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Olympus TG-850 iHS vs Sony A550 Overview

Following is a comprehensive analysis of the Olympus TG-850 iHS vs Sony A550, former is a Waterproof while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Olympus and Sony. The image resolution of the TG-850 iHS (16MP) and the A550 (14MP) is fairly well matched but the TG-850 iHS (1/2.3") and A550 (APS-C) provide different sensor measurements.

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The TG-850 iHS was revealed 4 years after the A550 which is quite a large difference as far as tech is concerned. Both cameras feature different body design with the Olympus TG-850 iHS being a Compact camera and the Sony A550 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before we go straight to a full comparison, here is a quick view of how the TG-850 iHS grades against the A550 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus TG-850 iHS over the Sony A550

 TG-850 iHS A550 
RevealedJanuary 2014December 2009More modern by 51 months

Reasons to pick Sony A550 over the Olympus TG-850 iHS

 A550 TG-850 iHS 
Manual focus More exact focus
Display resolution922k460kCrisper display (+462k dot)

Common features in the Olympus TG-850 iHS and Sony A550

 TG-850 iHS A550 
Display typeTiltingTiltingTilting display
Display size3"3"Same display measurements
Selfie screen Neither provides selfie screen
Touch friendly display Neither provides Touch friendly display

Olympus TG-850 iHS vs Sony A550 Physical Comparison

If you're intending to carry around your camera regularly, you need to take into account its weight and proportions. The Olympus TG-850 iHS provides external measurements of 110mm x 64mm x 28mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.1") and a weight of 218 grams (0.48 lbs) while the Sony A550 has measurements of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") along with a weight of 632 grams (1.39 lbs).

See the Olympus TG-850 iHS vs Sony A550 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you are using during that time. Underneath is a front view measurements comparison of the TG-850 iHS and the A550.

Olympus TG-850 iHS vs Sony A550 size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the TG-850 iHS and A550 is 91 and 63 respectively.

Olympus TG-850 iHS vs Sony A550 top view buttons comparison

Olympus TG-850 iHS vs Sony A550 Sensor Comparison

In many cases, it is very difficult to visualize the difference between sensor sizes purely by reading through a spec sheet. The pic below may offer you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the TG-850 iHS and A550.

Clearly, both cameras feature different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The TG-850 iHS having a tinier sensor is going to make achieving shallow depth of field more difficult and the Olympus TG-850 iHS will give extra detail because of its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also enable you to crop images way more aggressively. The more modern TG-850 iHS provides a benefit when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus TG-850 iHS vs Sony A550 sensor size comparison

Olympus TG-850 iHS vs Sony A550 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus TG-850 iHS vs Sony A550 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus TG-850 iHS Portrait photography factors
Sony A550 Portrait photography factors
35
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
comes with face detection focus
lack of manual focus
manual mode not possible
external flash not possible
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
72
manual focus
megapixel count good (14MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
features face detection focusing
supports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus TG-850 iHS Street photography information
Sony A550 Street photography information
69
screen tilts
has image stabilization (Optical)
environment sealing
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
74
screen tilts
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
supports RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus TG-850 iHS
Sports photography with Sony A550
51
has image stabilization (Optical)
good megapixels (16MP)
comes with tracking autofocus
environment sealing
good battery life (330 per charge)
no shutter priority
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
67
image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count good (14 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
sensor has phase detect AF
terrible battery pack (480 shots)
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus TG-850 iHS
Travel photography with Sony A550
72
good battery life (330 CIPA)
environment sealing
good megapixels (16MP)
flash built-in
fairly wide (21mm)
display is not selfie friendly
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
52
megapixel count good (14 megapixels)
built-in flash
lack of Timelapse recording
terrible battery pack (480 shots)
display isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus TG-850 iHS
Landscape photography with Sony A550
50
fairly wide (21mm)
screen size is good (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Optical)
good megapixels (16MP)
environment sealing
good battery life (330 CIPA)
lack of manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
manual mode not possible
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
66
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count good (14MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
supports RAW files
terrible battery pack (480 shots)
lack of Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus TG-850 iHS Vlogging factors
Sony A550 Vlogging factors
33
fairly wide (21mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
comes with face detection focus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
display is not selfie friendly
does not have external microphone socket
9
lack of video recording
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Olympus TG-850 iHS vs Sony A550 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus TG-850 iHS and Sony A550
 Olympus Stylus Tough TG-850 iHSSony Alpha DSLR-A550
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Sony
Model Olympus Stylus Tough TG-850 iHS Sony Alpha DSLR-A550
Class Waterproof Entry-Level DSLR
Revealed 2014-01-29 2009-12-09
Physical type Compact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic VII Bionz
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 23.4 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 365.0mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 14MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio - 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4616 x 3464 4592 x 3056
Highest native ISO 6400 12800
Min native ISO 125 200
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Number of focus points - 9
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens focal range 21-105mm (5.0x) -
Largest aperture f/3.5-5.7 -
Number of lenses - 143
Crop factor 5.8 1.5
Screen
Display type Tilting Tilting
Display sizing 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 460 thousand dots 922 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Display tech TFT LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder coverage - 95%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.53x
Features
Min shutter speed 1/2 secs 30 secs
Max shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shutter rate 7.0 frames/s 7.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range - 12.00 m
Flash settings - Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Max flash synchronize - 1/160 secs
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60p, 30p), 1280 x 720 (60p), 640 x 480 (30 fps) -
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 None
Video data format H.264, Motion JPEG -
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Yes None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 218 grams (0.48 lbs) 632 grams (1.39 lbs)
Physical dimensions 110 x 64 x 28mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.1") 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested 66
DXO Color Depth score not tested 21.9
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 11.8
DXO Low light score not tested 807
Other
Battery life 330 shots 480 shots
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model LI-50B NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes (2 sec, 12 sec, Custom Self-Timer (1-30 sec start timer, 1-10 pictures, 1-3 sec interval)) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD, SDHC, SDXC, Internal Memory SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots Single Single
Pricing at release $250 $749