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Olympus TG-4 vs Sony A550

Portability
90
Imaging
41
Features
51
Overall
45
Olympus Tough TG-4 front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 front
Portability
63
Imaging
54
Features
65
Overall
58

Olympus TG-4 vs Sony A550 Key Specs

Olympus TG-4
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-100mm (F2.0-4.9) lens
  • 247g - 112 x 66 x 31mm
  • Revealed April 2015
  • Older Model is Olympus TG-3
  • Successor is Olympus TG-5
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
  • Announced December 2009
  • Succeeded the Sony A100
Photography Glossary

Olympus TG-4 vs Sony A550 Overview

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.

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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.

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Reasons to pick Olympus TG-4 over the Sony A550

 TG-4 A550 
AnnouncedApril 2015December 2009Fresher by 66 months

Reasons to pick Sony A550 over the Olympus TG-4

 A550 TG-4 
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution922k460kCrisper screen (+462k dot)

Common features in the Olympus TG-4 and Sony A550

 TG-4 A550 
Manually focus More accurate focus
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen dimensions
Selfie screen Lacking selfie screen
Touch screen Neither comes with Touch screen

Olympus TG-4 vs Sony A550 Physical Comparison

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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Olympus TG-4 vs Sony A550 size comparison

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

Olympus TG-4 vs Sony A550 top view buttons comparison

Olympus TG-4 vs Sony A550 Sensor Comparison

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.

Olympus TG-4 vs Sony A550 sensor size comparison

Olympus TG-4 vs Sony A550 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus TG-4 vs Sony A550 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus TG-4 Portrait photography factors
Sony A550 Portrait photography factors
47
has manual focus
good MP (16 megapixels)
supports face detection focus
exports RAW files
manual mode not available
cannot use external flash
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
72
manual focus
MP count decent (14 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
provides face detect focusing
supports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus TG-4
Street photography with Sony A550
65
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
exports RAW files
weather sealing
no moving screen
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
more heavy than competition in class (247 grams)
74
screen tilts up and down
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
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Sports Comparison

Olympus TG-4 Sports photography advice
Sony A550 Sports photography advice
48
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
good MP (16MP)
supports tracking autofocus
weather sealing
better than average battery power (380 CIPA)
max fps very slow (5.0 frames/s)
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect auto focus
67
image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count decent (14MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
supports phase detect AF
terrible battery pack (480 per charge)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus TG-4 Travel photography factors
Sony A550 Travel photography factors
74
better than average battery power (380 shots)
weather sealing
good MP (16MP)
flash built-in
fairly wide (25mm)
very good maximum aperture (f2.0)
more heavy than competition in class (247 grams)
display isn't selfie friendly
52
MP count decent (14 megapixels)
has built in flash
does not have Timelapse function
terrible battery pack (480 CIPA)
screen is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus TG-4 Landscape photography details
Sony A550 Landscape photography details
62
has manual focus
fairly wide (25mm)
very good maximum aperture (f2.0)
screen size is good (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
good MP (16MP)
exports RAW files
weather sealing
better than average battery power (380 CIPA)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
manual mode not available
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
66
manual focus
change lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count decent (14MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
terrible battery pack (480 per charge)
does not have Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus TG-4 as a Vlogging camera
Sony A550 as a Vlogging camera
34
fairly wide (25mm)
very good maximum aperture (f2.0)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
supports face detection focus
good video quality (1920 x 1080 pixels)
display isn't selfie friendly
doesn't have external microphone port
more heavy than competition in class (247g)
9
can't shoot video
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Olympus TG-4 vs Sony A550 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus TG-4 and Sony A550
 Olympus Tough TG-4Sony Alpha DSLR-A550
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus Tough TG-4 Sony Alpha DSLR-A550
Type Waterproof Entry-Level DSLR
Revealed 2015-04-13 2009-12-09
Body design Compact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic VII Bionz
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 23.4 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 365.0mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 14 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 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 support
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
AF continuous
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Total focus points 25 9
Lens
Lens support fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens zoom range 25-100mm (4.0x) -
Maximal aperture f/2.0-4.9 -
Macro focusing distance 1cm -
Total lenses - 143
Crop factor 5.8 1.5
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Tilting
Screen sizing 3 inch 3 inch
Screen resolution 460 thousand dot 922 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder coverage - 95%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.53x
Features
Min shutter speed 4 secs 30 secs
Max shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shutter speed 5.0 frames per sec 7.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation - Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 7.90 m (at ISO 1600) 12.00 m
Flash settings Auto, redeye reduction, fill-in, off, LED Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Max flash sync - 1/160 secs
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30 fps) -
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 None
Video data format H.264, Motion JPEG -
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS BuiltIn None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 247 gr (0.54 pounds) 632 gr (1.39 pounds)
Dimensions 112 x 66 x 31mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.2") 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 380 photographs 480 photographs
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID LI-92B NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage media SD, SDHC, SDXC, Internal Memory SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots 1 1
Cost at release $379 $749