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Olympus TG-850 iHS vs Sony W550

Portability
91
Imaging
40
Features
44
Overall
41
Olympus Stylus Tough TG-850 iHS front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W550 front
Portability
96
Imaging
37
Features
28
Overall
33

Olympus TG-850 iHS vs Sony W550 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
  • Released January 2014
Sony W550
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 26-104mm (F2.7-5.7) lens
  • 110g - 94 x 56 x 19mm
  • Revealed July 2011
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Olympus TG-850 iHS vs Sony W550 Overview

Its time to look a little more in depth at the Olympus TG-850 iHS versus Sony W550, former being a Waterproof while the other is a Ultracompact by rivals Olympus and Sony. The image resolution of the TG-850 iHS (16MP) and the W550 (14MP) is very close and they come with the exact same sensor size (1/2.3").

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The TG-850 iHS was revealed 2 years later than the W550 and that is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both cameras come with different body type with the Olympus TG-850 iHS being a Compact camera and the Sony W550 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before going in to a step-by-step comparison, below is a simple summation of how the TG-850 iHS matches up against the W550 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus TG-850 iHS over the Sony W550

 TG-850 iHS W550 
RevealedJanuary 2014July 2011Fresher by 31 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display resolution460k230kClearer display (+230k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony W550 over the Olympus TG-850 iHS

 W550 TG-850 iHS 

Common features in the Olympus TG-850 iHS and Sony W550

 TG-850 iHS W550 
Manually focus Lack of manual focusing
Display dimension3"3"Identical display size
Selfie screen No selfie screen
Touch display No Touch display

Olympus TG-850 iHS vs Sony W550 Physical Comparison

In case you're aiming to carry your camera regularly, you'll need to take into account its weight and size. The Olympus TG-850 iHS has got exterior dimensions of 110mm x 64mm x 28mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.1") and a weight of 218 grams (0.48 lbs) whilst the Sony W550 has specifications of 94mm x 56mm x 19mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.7") and a weight of 110 grams (0.24 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus TG-850 iHS versus Sony W550 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you choose at the time. The following is the front view dimensions comparison of the TG-850 iHS and the W550.

Olympus TG-850 iHS vs Sony W550 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the TG-850 iHS and W550 is 91 and 96 respectively.

Olympus TG-850 iHS vs Sony W550 top view buttons comparison

Olympus TG-850 iHS vs Sony W550 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it's difficult to visualize the difference in sensor sizing purely by viewing specifications. The graphic below may offer you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the TG-850 iHS and W550.

To sum up, the 2 cameras have got the exact same sensor measurements but different resolution. You can expect to see the Olympus TG-850 iHS to provide you with extra detail because of its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop photos much more aggressively. The fresher TG-850 iHS should have an advantage in sensor tech.

Olympus TG-850 iHS vs Sony W550 sensor size comparison

Olympus TG-850 iHS vs Sony W550 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus TG-850 iHS vs Sony W550 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus TG-850 iHS Portrait photography information
Sony W550 Portrait photography information
35
decent MP (16MP)
comes with face detect focusing
no manual focus
manual mode not available
cannot use external flash
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
28
good resolution (14 megapixels)
focusing manually not possible
manual exposure not available
no external flash support
sensor is small (1/2.3")
no RAW format
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus TG-850 iHS
Street photography with Sony W550
69
screen tilts up and down
image stabilization (Optical)
environment proofing
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
57
image stabilization (Optical)
no articulating screen
sensor is small (1/2.3")
no RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus TG-850 iHS
Sports photography with Sony W550
51
image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
comes with tracking focus
environment proofing
better than average battery life (330 per charge)
no shutter priority
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect AF
35
image stabilization (Optical)
good resolution (14 megapixels)
painfully slow continuous shooting (1.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority mode
sensor is small (1/2.3")
no phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus TG-850 iHS Travel photography advice
Sony W550 Travel photography advice
72
better than average battery life (330 shots)
environment proofing
decent MP (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
pretty wide (21mm)
does not have a selfie friendly screen
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
65
good resolution (14MP)
built-in flash
quite wide (26mm)
no Time Lapse mode
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.7)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus TG-850 iHS Landscape photography factors
Sony W550 Landscape photography factors
50
pretty wide (21mm)
screen is a decent size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
environment proofing
better than average battery life (330 per charge)
no manual focus
cannot swap lenses (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
manual mode not available
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
42
quite wide (26mm)
screen size is good (3 inches)
image stabilization (Optical)
good resolution (14 megapixels)
focusing manually not possible
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.7)
manual exposure not available
sensor is small (1/2.3")
no RAW format
no Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus TG-850 iHS Vlogging details
Sony W550 Vlogging details
33
pretty wide (21mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
comes with face detect focusing
high video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
does not have a selfie friendly screen
lack of mic support
29
quite wide (26mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.7)
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
video res low (1280 x 720 pixels)
no mic socket
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Olympus TG-850 iHS vs Sony W550 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus TG-850 iHS and Sony W550
 Olympus Stylus Tough TG-850 iHSSony Cyber-shot DSC-W550
General Information
Company Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus Stylus Tough TG-850 iHS Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W550
Class Waterproof Ultracompact
Released 2014-01-29 2011-07-24
Physical type Compact Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic VII BIONZ
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 14MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio - 4:3 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4616 x 3464 4320 x 3240
Maximum native ISO 6400 3200
Min native ISO 125 80
RAW images
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Total focus points - 9
Cross type focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 21-105mm (5.0x) 26-104mm (4.0x)
Maximum aperture f/3.5-5.7 f/2.7-5.7
Macro focusing distance - 5cm
Focal length multiplier 5.8 5.8
Screen
Display type Tilting Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 460 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Display technology TFT LCD Clear Photo LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 1/2s 2s
Highest shutter speed 1/2000s 1/1600s
Continuous shooting rate 7.0 frames per second 1.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance - 3.80 m
Flash settings - Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
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) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video format H.264, Motion JPEG MPEG-4
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless Yes None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 218 gr (0.48 lbs) 110 gr (0.24 lbs)
Dimensions 110 x 64 x 28mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.1") 94 x 56 x 19mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.7")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 330 photographs -
Battery type Battery Pack -
Battery ID LI-50B NP-BN1
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, Portrait 1/2)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD, SDHC, SDXC, Internal Memory SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Duo/Memory Stick Pro Duo, Memory Stick Pro-HG Duo
Card slots 1 -
Pricing at launch $250 $119