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Olympus VG-145 vs Sony A550

Portability
96
Imaging
37
Features
24
Overall
31
Olympus VG-145 front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 front
Portability
63
Imaging
54
Features
65
Overall
58

Olympus VG-145 vs Sony A550 Key Specs

Olympus VG-145
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 1600
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 26-130mm (F2.8-6.5) lens
  • 120g - 96 x 57 x 19mm
  • Revealed July 2011
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
  • Replaced the Sony A100
Photography Glossary

Olympus VG-145 vs Sony A550 Overview

The following is a detailed comparison of the Olympus VG-145 vs Sony A550, former is a Ultracompact while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by competitors Olympus and Sony. The sensor resolution of the VG-145 (14MP) and the A550 (14MP) is relatively close but the VG-145 (1/2.3") and A550 (APS-C) enjoy different sensor measurements.

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The VG-145 was manufactured 20 months after the A550 which makes the cameras a generation away from one another. The two cameras come with different body type with the Olympus VG-145 being a Ultracompact camera and the Sony A550 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before delving through a in-depth comparison, below is a concise introduction of how the VG-145 grades versus the A550 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus VG-145 over the Sony A550

 VG-145 A550 
AnnouncedJuly 2011December 2009Newer by 20 months

Reasons to pick Sony A550 over the Olympus VG-145

 A550 VG-145 
Manual focus Very exact focusing
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution922k230kCrisper screen (+692k dot)

Common features in the Olympus VG-145 and Sony A550

 VG-145 A550 
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen measurements
Selfie screen Neither offers selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Absent Touch friendly screen

Olympus VG-145 vs Sony A550 Physical Comparison

If you're going to travel with your camera, you're going to have to take into account its weight and volume. The Olympus VG-145 offers physical measurements of 96mm x 57mm x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") having a weight of 120 grams (0.26 lbs) whilst the Sony A550 has sizing of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") with a weight of 632 grams (1.39 lbs).

Check out the Olympus VG-145 vs Sony A550 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you have at that time. Following is the front view physical size comparison of the VG-145 and the A550.

Olympus VG-145 vs Sony A550 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the VG-145 and A550 is 96 and 63 respectively.

Olympus VG-145 vs Sony A550 top view buttons comparison

Olympus VG-145 vs Sony A550 Sensor Comparison

Typically, it is difficult to visualize the difference in sensor dimensions just by researching specs. The pic below should give you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the VG-145 and A550.

All in all, both of these cameras posses the exact same megapixels albeit different sensor dimensions. The VG-145 offers the smaller sensor which is going to make achieving shallower depth of field harder. The more recent VG-145 provides an advantage when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus VG-145 vs Sony A550 sensor size comparison

Olympus VG-145 vs Sony A550 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus VG-145 vs Sony A550 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus VG-145 Portrait photography advice
Sony A550 Portrait photography advice
33
megapixel count decent (14 megapixels)
supports face detect autofocus
focusing manually not possible
lack of manual mode
external flash not possible
sensor is small (1/2.3")
no RAW files
72
focusing manually
decent sensor resolution (14 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
offers face detect autofocus
delivers RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus VG-145 as a Street photography camera
Sony A550 as a Street photography camera
48
screen is fixed
lack of image stabilization
sensor is small (1/2.3")
no RAW files
74
screen tilts
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
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Sports Comparison

Olympus VG-145 Sports photography factors
Sony A550 Sports photography factors
26
megapixel count decent (14MP)
no shutter priority mode
lack of image stabilization
sensor is small (1/2.3")
terrible battery life (160 CIPA)
no phase detect autofocus
67
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor resolution (14 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
sensor has phase detect autofocus
low battery life (480 per charge)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus VG-145 Travel photography highlights
Sony A550 Travel photography highlights
62
megapixel count decent (14MP)
has built in flash
pretty wide (26mm)
missing Timelapse function
terrible battery life (160 shots)
screen isn't selfie friendly
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
52
decent sensor resolution (14 megapixels)
built-in flash
doesn't have Timelapse mode
low battery life (480 per charge)
does not offer selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus VG-145 Landscape photography advice
Sony A550 Landscape photography advice
36
pretty wide (26mm)
decent sized screen (3")
megapixel count decent (14MP)
focusing manually not possible
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
lack of manual mode
lack of image stabilization
sensor is small (1/2.3")
no RAW files
terrible battery life (160 per charge)
missing Timelapse function
66
focusing manually
swap lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen size is good (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor resolution (14 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
low battery life (480 shots)
doesn't have Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus VG-145 Vlogging advice
Sony A550 Vlogging advice
28
pretty wide (26mm)
supports face detect autofocus
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
screen isn't selfie friendly
lack of image stabilization
low quality video (1280 x 720 pxls)
missing microphone socket
9
no video recording
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Olympus VG-145 vs Sony A550 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus VG-145 and Sony A550
 Olympus VG-145Sony Alpha DSLR-A550
General Information
Brand Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus VG-145 Sony Alpha DSLR-A550
Class Ultracompact Entry-Level DSLR
Revealed 2011-07-27 2009-12-09
Physical type Ultracompact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic III Bionz
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 23.4 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 365.0mm²
Sensor resolution 14 megapixel 14 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 4288 x 3216 4592 x 3056
Max native ISO 1600 12800
Min native ISO 80 200
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Total focus points - 9
Cross type focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens zoom range 26-130mm (5.0x) -
Maximal aperture f/2.8-6.5 -
Macro focusing range 1cm -
Total lenses - 143
Focal length multiplier 5.8 1.5
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Tilting
Screen size 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 230 thousand dots 922 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Screen tech TFT Color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder coverage - 95%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.53x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 4 seconds 30 seconds
Fastest shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shutter rate - 7.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation - Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 4.40 m 12.00 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize - 1/160 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30, 15fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15fps) -
Max video resolution 1280x720 None
Video data format Motion JPEG -
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 120 grams (0.26 pounds) 632 grams (1.39 pounds)
Dimensions 96 x 57 x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") 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 160 shots 480 shots
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID LI-70B NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage type SD/SDHC SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots 1 1
Launch cost $0 $749