Olympus XZ-10 vs Sony A55

Below, we are contrasting the Olympus XZ-10 versus Sony A55, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. There is a large difference between the sensor resolutions of the XZ-10 (12MP) and A55 (16MP) and the XZ-10 (1/2.3") and A55 (APS-C) feature different sensor sizes.

Photography Glossary

The XZ-10 was released 2 years after the A55 which is quite a serious difference as far as tech is concerned. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus XZ-10 being a Compact camera and the Sony A55 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before delving in to a detailed comparison, below is a quick highlight of how the XZ-10 matches up vs the A55 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus Stylus XZ-10 & Sony SLT-A55. The complete galleries are available at Olympus XZ-10 Gallery & Sony A55 Gallery.

For anyone who is planning to travel with your camera often, you're going to have to think about its weight and dimensions. The Olympus XZ-10 has exterior dimensions of 102mm x 61mm x 34mm (4.0" x 2.4" x 1.3") and a weight of 221 grams (0.49 lbs) whilst the Sony A55 has dimensions of 124mm x 92mm x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3") having a weight of 500 grams (1.10 lbs).

Examine the Olympus XZ-10 versus Sony A55 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you have chosen at that time. Below is the front view dimension comparison of the XZ-10 and the A55.

Considering size and weight, the portability grade of the XZ-10 and A55 is 91 and 67 respectively.

Generally, it is very hard to picture the difference between sensor dimensions just by looking at specifications. The picture here will help give you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the XZ-10 and A55.

To sum up, the two cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The XZ-10 due to its tinier sensor is going to make shooting shallow DOF trickier and the Sony A55 will give you greater detail as a result of its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also help you crop photos somewhat more aggressively. The younger XZ-10 should have an edge when it comes to sensor tech.