Olympus XZ-1 vs Sony A550
88 Imaging
35 Features
51 Overall
41
63 Imaging
54 Features
65 Overall
58
Olympus XZ-1 vs Sony A550 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 10MP - 1/1.63" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Display
- ISO 100 - 6400
- Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
- 1280 x 720 video
- 28-112mm (F1.8-2.5) lens
- 275g - 111 x 65 x 42mm
- Released January 2011
(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
- Introduced December 2009
- Replaced the Sony A100
Olympus XZ-1 vs Sony A550 Overview
Let's look a little more in depth at the Olympus XZ-1 vs Sony A550, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. There exists a significant gap among the image resolutions of the XZ-1 (10MP) and A550 (14MP) and the XZ-1 (1/1.63") and A550 (APS-C) enjoy totally different sensor measurements.
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhoneThe XZ-1 was revealed 14 months later than the A550 making the cameras a generation apart from one another. Both of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus XZ-1 being a Compact camera and the Sony A550 being a Compact SLR camera.
Before delving straight into a full comparison, below is a quick view of how the XZ-1 scores against the A550 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.
Olympus XZ-1 vs Sony A550 Gallery
Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus XZ-1 and Sony Alpha DSLR-A550. The full galleries are provided at Olympus XZ-1 Gallery and Sony A550 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus XZ-1 over the Sony A550
XZ-1 | A550 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Introduced | January 2011 | December 2009 | Fresher by 14 months |
Reasons to pick Sony A550 over the Olympus XZ-1
A550 | XZ-1 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Display type | Tilting | Fixed | Tilting display | |
Display resolution | 922k | 614k | Crisper display (+308k dot) |
Common features in the Olympus XZ-1 and Sony A550
XZ-1 | A550 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Focus manually | More accurate focus | |||
Display dimension | 3" | 3" | Identical display measurements | |
Selfie screen | Neither has selfie screen | |||
Touch friendly display | Neither has Touch friendly display |
Olympus XZ-1 vs Sony A550 Physical Comparison
If you're aiming to carry your camera often, you will want to consider its weight and proportions. The Olympus XZ-1 has outer measurements of 111mm x 65mm x 42mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.7") with a weight of 275 grams (0.61 lbs) whilst the Sony A550 has measurements of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") having a weight of 632 grams (1.39 lbs).
Look at the Olympus XZ-1 vs Sony A550 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you are using at the time. Following is the front view measurement comparison of the XZ-1 vs the A550.
Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability score of the XZ-1 and A550 is 88 and 63 respectively.
Olympus XZ-1 vs Sony A550 Sensor Comparison
Normally, it is tough to visualise the gap in sensor sizing purely by going through specs. The photograph below will offer you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the XZ-1 and A550.
As you can plainly see, the 2 cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The XZ-1 with its smaller sensor will make shooting shallow depth of field harder and the Sony A550 will provide extra detail because of its extra 4MP. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop pics much more aggressively. The younger XZ-1 will have an advantage in sensor tech.
Olympus XZ-1 vs Sony A550 Screen and ViewFinder
Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison
Street Comparison
Sports Comparison
Travel Comparison
Landscape Comparison
Vlogging Comparison
Olympus XZ-1 vs Sony A550 Specifications
Olympus XZ-1 | Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Brand | Olympus | Sony |
Model type | Olympus XZ-1 | Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 |
Type | Small Sensor Compact | Entry-Level DSLR |
Released | 2011-01-26 | 2009-12-09 |
Physical type | Compact | Compact SLR |
Sensor Information | ||
Processor | TruePic V | Bionz |
Sensor type | CCD | CMOS |
Sensor size | 1/1.63" | APS-C |
Sensor dimensions | 8.07 x 5.56mm | 23.4 x 15.6mm |
Sensor area | 44.9mm² | 365.0mm² |
Sensor resolution | 10MP | 14MP |
Anti alias filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 | 3:2 and 16:9 |
Peak resolution | 3664 x 2752 | 4592 x 3056 |
Highest native ISO | 6400 | 12800 |
Min native ISO | 100 | 200 |
RAW images | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Manual focusing | ||
Autofocus touch | ||
Autofocus continuous | ||
Autofocus single | ||
Tracking autofocus | ||
Selective autofocus | ||
Center weighted autofocus | ||
Multi area autofocus | ||
Autofocus live view | ||
Face detect autofocus | ||
Contract detect autofocus | ||
Phase detect autofocus | ||
Total focus points | 11 | 9 |
Lens | ||
Lens support | fixed lens | Sony/Minolta Alpha |
Lens zoom range | 28-112mm (4.0x) | - |
Max aperture | f/1.8-2.5 | - |
Macro focusing range | 1cm | - |
Available lenses | - | 143 |
Focal length multiplier | 4.5 | 1.5 |
Screen | ||
Type of display | Fixed Type | Tilting |
Display diagonal | 3 inch | 3 inch |
Display resolution | 614k dots | 922k dots |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch screen | ||
Display technology | OLED | - |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder | Electronic (optional) | Optical (pentamirror) |
Viewfinder coverage | - | 95 percent |
Viewfinder magnification | - | 0.53x |
Features | ||
Minimum shutter speed | 60 seconds | 30 seconds |
Fastest shutter speed | 1/2000 seconds | 1/4000 seconds |
Continuous shutter rate | 2.0 frames/s | 7.0 frames/s |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Expose Manually | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
Set white balance | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Built-in flash | ||
Flash distance | 8.60 m (ISO 800) | 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 |
Hot shoe | ||
AEB | ||
White balance 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 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) | - |
Highest video resolution | 1280x720 | None |
Video format | Motion JPEG | - |
Mic 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 | 275g (0.61 lb) | 632g (1.39 lb) |
Dimensions | 111 x 65 x 42mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.7") | 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO Overall rating | 34 | 66 |
DXO Color Depth rating | 18.8 | 21.9 |
DXO Dynamic range rating | 10.4 | 11.8 |
DXO Low light rating | 117 | 807 |
Other | ||
Battery life | 320 shots | 480 shots |
Form of battery | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
Battery ID | Li-50B | NP-FM500H |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes (2 or 10 sec) |
Time lapse feature | ||
Storage type | SD/SDHC/SDXC | SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo |
Card slots | One | One |
Cost at release | $567 | $749 |