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Olympus XZ-10 vs Sony A550

Portability
91
Imaging
36
Features
57
Overall
44
Olympus Stylus XZ-10 front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 front
Portability
63
Imaging
54
Features
65
Overall
58

Olympus XZ-10 vs Sony A550 Key Specs

Olympus XZ-10
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 26-130mm (F1.8-2.7) lens
  • 221g - 102 x 61 x 34mm
  • Released January 2013
Sony A550
(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
  • Revealed December 2009
  • Old Model is Sony A100
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Olympus XZ-10 vs Sony A550 Overview

Following is a in-depth comparison of the Olympus XZ-10 and Sony A550, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. The image resolution of the XZ-10 (12MP) and the A550 (14MP) is pretty comparable but the XZ-10 (1/2.3") and A550 (APS-C) posses totally different sensor sizing.

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The XZ-10 was launched 3 years after the A550 which is a fairly big difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus XZ-10 being a Compact camera and the Sony A550 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving into a more detailed comparison, here is a brief synopsis of how the XZ-10 grades vs the A550 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus XZ-10 over the Sony A550

 XZ-10 A550 
RevealedJanuary 2013December 2009More modern by 39 months
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Sony A550 over the Olympus XZ-10

 A550 XZ-10 
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution922k920kClearer screen (+2k dot)

Common features in the Olympus XZ-10 and Sony A550

 XZ-10 A550 
Focus manually Very exact focusing
Screen size3"3"Same screen measurement
Selfie screen No selfie screen

Olympus XZ-10 vs Sony A550 Physical Comparison

If you're looking to carry around your camera, you'll need to consider its weight and volume. The Olympus XZ-10 offers external dimensions of 102mm x 61mm x 34mm (4.0" x 2.4" x 1.3") accompanied by a weight of 221 grams (0.49 lbs) whilst the Sony A550 has sizing of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") accompanied by a weight of 632 grams (1.39 lbs).

Check out the Olympus XZ-10 and Sony A550 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you use at that time. Underneath is a front view dimension comparison of the XZ-10 versus the A550.

Olympus XZ-10 vs Sony A550 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the XZ-10 and A550 is 91 and 63 respectively.

Olympus XZ-10 vs Sony A550 top view buttons comparison

Olympus XZ-10 vs Sony A550 Sensor Comparison

Typically, its difficult to visualise the gap in sensor sizes just by going through specifications. The picture below might offer you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the XZ-10 and A550.

Plainly, both of these cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The XZ-10 featuring a smaller sensor will make achieving bokeh more difficult and the Sony A550 will show more detail utilizing its extra 2MP. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop photographs a good deal more aggressively. The fresher XZ-10 is going to have an edge in sensor technology.

Olympus XZ-10 vs Sony A550 sensor size comparison

Olympus XZ-10 vs Sony A550 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus XZ-10 vs Sony A550 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus XZ-10 Portrait photography advice
Sony A550 Portrait photography advice
45
manual focus
offers face detect autofocus
saves RAW formats
low MP (12MP)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
72
has manual focus
decent MP (14MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
has face detect focus
supports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus XZ-10 Street photography features
Sony A550 Street photography features
61
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
saves RAW formats
screen is fixed
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
more heavy than average in class (221 grams)
74
has a tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus XZ-10
Sports photography with Sony A550
34
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
offers tracking focus
continuous shooting slow (5.0 frames per second)
low MP (12 megapixels)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect autofocus
67
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent MP (14 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
supports phase detect auto focus
low battery pack (480 per charge)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus XZ-10 Travel photography information
Sony A550 Travel photography information
60
has built in flash
rather wide (26mm)
fast max aperture (f1.8)
lack of Timelapse mode
more heavy than average in class (221g)
low MP (12 megapixels)
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
52
decent MP (14MP)
flash built-in
lack of Time Lapse recording
low battery pack (480 shots)
screen is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus XZ-10 Landscape photography advice
Sony A550 Landscape photography advice
53
manual focus
rather wide (26mm)
fast max aperture (f1.8)
screen size is good (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
saves RAW formats
can't swap lenses (fixed lens mount)
low MP (12MP)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of Timelapse mode
66
has manual focus
swap lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen is a decent size (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent MP (14 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
low battery pack (480 per charge)
lack of Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus XZ-10 Vlogging highlights
Sony A550 Vlogging highlights
35
rather wide (26mm)
fast max aperture (f1.8)
touch screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
offers face detect autofocus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
lack of microphone socket
more heavy than average in class (221g)
9
no video
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Olympus XZ-10 vs Sony A550 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus XZ-10 and Sony A550
 Olympus Stylus XZ-10Sony Alpha DSLR-A550
General Information
Company Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus Stylus XZ-10 Sony Alpha DSLR-A550
Class Small Sensor Compact Entry-Level DSLR
Released 2013-01-30 2009-12-09
Physical type Compact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Processor - Bionz
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 23.4 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 365.0mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 14 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 3968 x 2976 4592 x 3056
Highest native ISO 6400 12800
Lowest native ISO 100 200
RAW files
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Total focus points 35 9
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens zoom range 26-130mm (5.0x) -
Max aperture f/1.8-2.7 -
Macro focusing distance 1cm -
Available lenses - 143
Crop factor 5.8 1.5
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Tilting
Screen sizing 3 inch 3 inch
Screen resolution 920k dots 922k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder coverage - 95 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.53x
Features
Min shutter speed 30 seconds 30 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shutter rate 5.0 frames/s 7.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance - 12.00 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Wireless Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Max flash synchronize - 1/160 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps, 18Mbps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps, 9Mbps) -
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 None
Video format MPEG-4, H.264 -
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected 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 221g (0.49 pounds) 632g (1.39 pounds)
Physical dimensions 102 x 61 x 34mm (4.0" x 2.4" x 1.3") 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 240 pictures 480 pictures
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID Li-50B NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots One One
Cost at release $428 $749