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Olympus TG-2 iHS vs Sony A550

Portability
91
Imaging
36
Features
42
Overall
38
Olympus Tough TG-2 iHS front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 front
Portability
63
Imaging
54
Features
65
Overall
58

Olympus TG-2 iHS vs Sony A550 Key Specs

Olympus TG-2 iHS
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-100mm (F2.0-4.9) lens
  • 230g - 111 x 67 x 29mm
  • Announced June 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
  • Introduced December 2009
  • Older Model is Sony A100
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Olympus TG-2 iHS vs Sony A550 Overview

Its time to look more in depth at the Olympus TG-2 iHS versus Sony A550, one being a Waterproof and the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Olympus and Sony. The sensor resolution of the TG-2 iHS (12MP) and the A550 (14MP) is relatively comparable but the TG-2 iHS (1/2.3") and A550 (APS-C) provide totally different sensor sizing.

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The TG-2 iHS was announced 3 years later than the A550 and that is a fairly large gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus TG-2 iHS being a Compact camera and the Sony A550 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before going straight to a more detailed comparison, here is a short synopsis of how the TG-2 iHS scores vs the A550 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus TG-2 iHS over the Sony A550

 TG-2 iHS A550 
IntroducedJune 2013December 2009Fresher by 44 months

Reasons to pick Sony A550 over the Olympus TG-2 iHS

 A550 TG-2 iHS 
Manually focus Dial exact focus
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution922k610kCrisper screen (+312k dot)

Common features in the Olympus TG-2 iHS and Sony A550

 TG-2 iHS A550 
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen measurement
Selfie screen Neither contains selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Absent Touch friendly screen

Olympus TG-2 iHS vs Sony A550 Physical Comparison

When you are aiming to carry your camera often, you should think about its weight and measurements. The Olympus TG-2 iHS has got physical dimensions of 111mm x 67mm x 29mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.1") with a weight of 230 grams (0.51 lbs) whilst the Sony A550 has proportions of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") and a weight of 632 grams (1.39 lbs).

Check the Olympus TG-2 iHS versus Sony A550 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you are using at that moment. Following is a front view measurements comparison of the TG-2 iHS compared to the A550.

Olympus TG-2 iHS vs Sony A550 size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability rating of the TG-2 iHS and A550 is 91 and 63 respectively.

Olympus TG-2 iHS vs Sony A550 top view buttons comparison

Olympus TG-2 iHS vs Sony A550 Sensor Comparison

Often, its hard to envision the contrast in sensor sizing purely by seeing specs. The graphic underneath may provide you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the TG-2 iHS and A550.

As you can plainly see, both of those cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The TG-2 iHS with its smaller sensor will make getting shallower depth of field more challenging and the Sony A550 will produce greater detail with its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will let you crop pictures more aggressively. The fresher TG-2 iHS is going to have an edge with regard to sensor innovation.

Olympus TG-2 iHS vs Sony A550 sensor size comparison

Olympus TG-2 iHS vs Sony A550 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus TG-2 iHS vs Sony A550 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus TG-2 iHS Portrait photography info
Sony A550 Portrait photography info
27
has face detection focusing
lack of manual focus
no manual exposure
can't use external flash
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
72
manual focus
resolution is good (14 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
comes with face detection focus
saves RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus TG-2 iHS Street photography information
Sony A550 Street photography information
61
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
weather proofing
screen is fixed
small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
74
screen tilts
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
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Sports Comparison

Olympus TG-2 iHS Sports photography info
Sony A550 Sports photography info
40
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
has tracking autofocus
weather proofing
great battery life (350 CIPA)
slow frames per second (5.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority mode
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
small sensor (1/2.3")
has no phase detect AF
67
image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (14MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
comes with phase detect auto focus
terrible battery (480 per charge)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus TG-2 iHS Travel photography information
Sony A550 Travel photography information
68
great battery life (350 per charge)
weather proofing
has built in flash
relatively wide (25mm)
fast max aperture (f2.0)
no Time Lapse function
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
display isn't selfie friendly
52
resolution is good (14MP)
built-in flash
lack of Time Lapse mode
terrible battery (480 per charge)
doesn't have selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus TG-2 iHS
Landscape photography with Sony A550
46
relatively wide (25mm)
fast max aperture (f2.0)
screen size is good (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
weather proofing
great battery life (350 CIPA)
lack of manual focus
cannot switch lens (fixed lens mount)
no manual exposure
megapixel count low (12MP)
small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
no Time Lapse function
66
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
nice screen size (3")
image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (14MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
terrible battery (480 shots)
lack of Time Lapse mode
Photography Glossary

Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus TG-2 iHS
Vlogging with Sony A550
36
relatively wide (25mm)
fast max aperture (f2.0)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
has face detection focusing
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
display isn't selfie friendly
no external mic socket
9
no video recording
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Olympus TG-2 iHS vs Sony A550 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus TG-2 iHS and Sony A550
 Olympus Tough TG-2 iHSSony Alpha DSLR-A550
General Information
Make Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus Tough TG-2 iHS Sony Alpha DSLR-A550
Class Waterproof Entry-Level DSLR
Announced 2013-06-28 2009-12-09
Body design Compact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Powered by - 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 surface area 28.1mm² 365.0mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 14 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 3968 x 2976 4592 x 3056
Highest native ISO 6400 12800
Lowest native ISO 100 200
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points - 9
Cross type focus points - -
Lens
Lens support fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens zoom range 25-100mm (4.0x) -
Maximum aperture f/2.0-4.9 -
Macro focusing range 1cm -
Number of lenses - 143
Focal length multiplier 5.8 1.5
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Tilting
Display diagonal 3 inch 3 inch
Display resolution 610k dot 922k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Display technology OLED -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder coverage - 95 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.53x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 4 seconds 30 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 5.0fps 7.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation - Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance - 12.00 m
Flash modes - Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash sync - 1/160 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 -
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 None
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264 -
Mic jack
Headphone jack
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 seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 230g (0.51 lb) 632g (1.39 lb)
Physical dimensions 111 x 67 x 29mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.1") 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around 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 350 shots 480 shots
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID Li-90B NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes (2 and 12 sec, Pet Auto Shutter) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage media - SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots 1 1
Retail cost $380 $749