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Olympus TG-830 iHS vs Sony A550

Portability
91
Imaging
40
Features
40
Overall
40
Olympus TG-830 iHS front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 front
Portability
63
Imaging
54
Features
65
Overall
58

Olympus TG-830 iHS vs Sony A550 Key Specs

Olympus TG-830 iHS
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 28-140mm (F3.9-5.9) lens
  • 214g - 109 x 67 x 28mm
  • Released January 2013
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
  • Old Model is Sony A100
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Olympus TG-830 iHS vs Sony A550 Overview

In this write-up, we are analyzing the Olympus TG-830 iHS versus Sony A550, former is a Waterproof while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by competitors Olympus and Sony. The sensor resolution of the TG-830 iHS (16MP) and the A550 (14MP) is fairly well matched but the TG-830 iHS (1/2.3") and A550 (APS-C) possess totally different sensor measurements.

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The TG-830 iHS was manufactured 3 years after the A550 which is quite a significant difference as far as technology is concerned. The two cameras offer different body type with the Olympus TG-830 iHS being a Compact camera and the Sony A550 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before we go in to a comprehensive comparison, below is a quick introduction of how the TG-830 iHS scores versus the A550 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus TG-830 iHS over the Sony A550

 TG-830 iHS A550 
RevealedJanuary 2013December 2009More modern by 38 months

Reasons to pick Sony A550 over the Olympus TG-830 iHS

 A550 TG-830 iHS 
Manual focus More accurate focusing
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display resolution922k460kClearer display (+462k dot)

Common features in the Olympus TG-830 iHS and Sony A550

 TG-830 iHS A550 
Display sizing3"3"Equivalent display measurements
Selfie screen Neither offers selfie screen
Touch display Neither offers Touch display

Olympus TG-830 iHS vs Sony A550 Physical Comparison

If you are going to carry around your camera frequently, you will want to think about its weight and dimensions. The Olympus TG-830 iHS offers physical dimensions of 109mm x 67mm x 28mm (4.3" x 2.6" x 1.1") and a weight of 214 grams (0.47 lbs) and the Sony A550 has dimensions of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") and a weight of 632 grams (1.39 lbs).

See the Olympus TG-830 iHS versus Sony A550 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you are using at that moment. Underneath is the front view size comparison of the TG-830 iHS vs the A550.

Olympus TG-830 iHS vs Sony A550 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the TG-830 iHS and A550 is 91 and 63 respectively.

Olympus TG-830 iHS vs Sony A550 top view buttons comparison

Olympus TG-830 iHS vs Sony A550 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it's tough to visualise the contrast between sensor sizes simply by reading through technical specs. The pic below might provide you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the TG-830 iHS and A550.

As you have seen, each of the cameras offer different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The TG-830 iHS because of its tinier sensor will make shooting shallow depth of field more challenging and the Olympus TG-830 iHS will give greater detail due to its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will enable you to crop images a little more aggressively. The newer TG-830 iHS is going to have an advantage in sensor innovation.

Olympus TG-830 iHS vs Sony A550 sensor size comparison

Olympus TG-830 iHS vs Sony A550 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus TG-830 iHS vs Sony A550 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus TG-830 iHS Portrait photography factors
Sony A550 Portrait photography factors
35
megapixel count good (16MP)
comes with face detect autofocus
manual focus not available
manual mode not available
cannot use external flash
small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
72
manual focus
good MP (14 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
comes with face detect autofocus
supports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus TG-830 iHS Street photography details
Sony A550 Street photography details
61
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
environment proofing
screen is fixed
small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
74
tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
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Sports Comparison

Olympus TG-830 iHS as a Sports photography camera
Sony A550 as a Sports photography camera
48
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
comes with tracking focus
environment proofing
no shutter priority mode
small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no phase detect autofocus
67
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good MP (14 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
supports phase detect autofocus
bad battery pack (480 shots)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus TG-830 iHS as a Travel photography camera
Sony A550 as a Travel photography camera
67
environment proofing
megapixel count good (16MP)
has built in flash
quite wide (28mm)
does not have Timelapse mode
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.9)
52
good MP (14 megapixels)
has built in flash
does not have Time Lapse function
bad battery pack (480 shots)
display is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus TG-830 iHS as a Landscape photography camera
Sony A550 as a Landscape photography camera
45
quite wide (28mm)
screen size is good (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
megapixel count good (16MP)
environment proofing
manual focus not available
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.9)
manual mode not available
small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
does not have Timelapse mode
66
manual focus
switch lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen size is good (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good MP (14MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
bad battery pack (480 shots)
does not have Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus TG-830 iHS as a Vlogging camera
Sony A550 as a Vlogging camera
33
quite wide (28mm)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
comes with face detect autofocus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.9)
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
does not have microphone jack
9
no video
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Olympus TG-830 iHS vs Sony A550 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus TG-830 iHS and Sony A550
 Olympus TG-830 iHSSony Alpha DSLR-A550
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus TG-830 iHS Sony Alpha DSLR-A550
Class Waterproof Entry-Level DSLR
Released 2013-01-08 2009-12-09
Physical type Compact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Chip - Bionz
Sensor type 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 16 megapixel 14 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 4608 x 3456 4592 x 3056
Maximum native ISO 6400 12800
Minimum native ISO 100 200
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points - 9
Cross type focus points - -
Lens
Lens support fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens zoom range 28-140mm (5.0x) -
Max aperture f/3.9-5.9 -
Macro focusing distance 1cm -
Total lenses - 143
Focal length multiplier 5.8 1.5
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Tilting
Display sizing 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 460 thousand dots 922 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder coverage - 95%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.53x
Features
Min shutter speed 4 seconds 30 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shutter rate - 7.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance - 12.00 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Max flash synchronize - 1/160 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 180 (30fps) -
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 None
Video file format H.264 -
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS BuiltIn None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 214g (0.47 lbs) 632g (1.39 lbs)
Dimensions 109 x 67 x 28mm (4.3" x 2.6" x 1.1") 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 300 pictures 480 pictures
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID LI-50B NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, pet auto shutter) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots 1 1
Retail pricing $0 $749