Olympus TG-4 vs Sony A550

Here is a extensive review of the Olympus TG-4 and Sony A550, former being a Waterproof while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. The resolution of the TG-4 (16MP) and the A550 (14MP) is pretty close but the TG-4 (1/2.3") and A550 (APS-C) come with different sensor sizes.

Photography Glossary

The TG-4 was introduced 5 years later than the A550 and that is a fairly serious difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus TG-4 being a Compact camera and the Sony A550 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before going in to a more detailed comparison, below is a simple view of how the TG-4 matches up against the A550 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Below is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus Tough TG-4 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A550. The whole galleries are provided at Olympus TG-4 Gallery & Sony A550 Gallery.

If you are going to carry your camera often, you should factor in its weight and measurements. The Olympus TG-4 comes with physical measurements of 112mm x 66mm x 31mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.2") with a weight of 247 grams (0.54 lbs) while the Sony A550 has proportions of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") with a weight of 632 grams (1.39 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus TG-4 and Sony A550 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you have chosen during that time. Following is the front view size comparison of the TG-4 versus the A550.

Using size and weight, the portability rating of the TG-4 and A550 is 90 and 63 respectively.

Generally, it is very hard to imagine the difference in sensor sizing merely by researching specifications. The photograph here might give you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the TG-4 and A550.

To sum up, the two cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The TG-4 using its smaller sensor is going to make shooting shallow DOF trickier and the Olympus TG-4 will render extra detail using its extra 2MP. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop pictures somewhat more aggressively. The younger TG-4 should have an advantage when it comes to sensor innovation.