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Olympus 550WP

 
Olympus Stylus 550WP front
 
  • 10MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Display
  • ISO 64 - 1600
  • Digital Image Stabilization
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 38-114mm (F3.5-5.0) lens
  • 167g - 94 x 62 x 22mm
  • Released January 2009
  • Alternate Name is mju 550WP
  • Read full specs
  • Alternatives
  • Size Comparison
  • FAQ
Portability
94
Imaging
33
Features
17
Overall
26

Olympus 550WP summary

Olympus 550WP is Olympus's Small Sensor Compact camera first announced on January of 2009. The camera features a 10MP, CCD 1/2.3" sized sensor and has a max resolution of 3648 x 2736. It is also known as "mju 550WP" in other countries.

The 550WP is rated #245 out of 261 in Small Sensor Compact cameras and over all #1237 out of 1465 for digital cameras in our collection. You should look at our Advanced camera search to get camera ratings based on your customized requirements.

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Here is a chart of different factors used in the rating system.

Olympus 550WP Pros and Cons

Below is a list of pluses and minuses of the Olympus 550WP based on things which are oftentimes considered essential in a camera.

above average minimum ISO (64)
built in zoom lens (38-114mm 3.0 x zoom)
has built in flash
image stabilization (Digital)
weather proofing
can't use external flash
does not have a selfie friendly display
does not have HDMI socket
does not have headphone socket
does not have mic socket
does not have Time Lapse mode
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
has no phase detect auto focus
has no RAW support
lack of aperture priority mode
low maximum shutter speed (1/1,000 seconds)
low megapixels (10 megapixels)
manual focus not available
max zoom aperture not good (f5.0)
no manual control
no shutter priority mode
pixelated screen (230 thousand dots)
screen is fixed
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
small screen (2.5 inches)
video quality not great (640 x 480 pixels)
wide angle not great (38mm)
Photography Glossary

Olympus 550WP Sensor details

The sensor measurement on the Olympus 550WP is 6.08mm x 4.56mm (1/2.3"). The 28 mm² sensor can capture 3648 x 2736 pixels and aspect ratios of 16:9, 4:3 and 3:2. The camera boasts Image Stabilization (Digital). Sensor stabilization is preferable than digital stabilization since the latter can easily cause cropping.

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The CCD sensor boasts 10 megapixels and includes a native ISO range of 64 to 1600. Sadly, RAW files are not saved therefore the user has less margin for error.

The image underneath shows the 550WP's sensor dimensions compared to other common sizes. The 550WP sensor comes with a crop factor of 5.9 and is outlined in green.

Olympus Stylus 550WP sensor size Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

To get a sense of various aspect ratios, you should refer to the visual below.

Camera sensor aspect ratios

Olympus 550WP dimensions

Olympus 550WP weighs about 0.37 pounds (167g / 5.89 oz) and the volume of the camera is 94mm x 62mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.4" x 0.9"). The weight of typical Small Sensor Compact camera is 174g and the Olympus 550WP is very much the same in comparison with its rivals.

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Here is a image of the Olympus 550WP with a softdrink to help you to have a sense of its scale.

Olympus Stylus 550WP dimensions scale

The top view just below will highlight the button layout on the 550WP.

Olympus Stylus 550WP topview buttons dials

Olympus 550WP Lens specs

The 550WP provides an inbuilt lens and it has a focal range of 38-114mm making it a 3.0 x zoom which is not at all significant nevertheless it is likely to be invaluable in a few conditions.

At the widest 38mm, it will have an aperture of f3.5 and that's fairly slow and not very good in low light situations and you might struggle to capture a shallow depth of field. You would also need to raise the ISO leading to noisy photographs. On the tele end, 114mm comes to f5.0 which is quite slow and you may need to apply slow shutter speeds.

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Olympus 550WP Connectivity

The 550WP has the following connectivity:

  • USB Yes

Digital cameras which include NFC and Bluetooth compatibility can easily be controlled wirelessly via smartphones. You will be able to copy photos and oftentimes change settings with no need to connect directly to the camera.

Several applications even give a Liveview and hit the shutter when you are not near the camera. If the camera includes a HDMI out, it could be connected to an external display. Most cameras enable you to recharge the battery pack using the USB socket.

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Olympus 550WP Video specs

The max video quality on the Olympus 550WP is 640 x 480 and it can shoot in Motion JPEG format. 480p is low by today's standards. You should really strive for at least 1080p quality for decent video. The camera does not have a mic and headphone jack which means that you have got little control over your audio. It is perhaps a better idea to purchase a different model should you require better audio in your video clips.

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Olympus 550WP Weather Sealing

Olympus 550WP features weather proofing making it a good option to use in tricky environments. This can be especially useful if you are uncertain about the conditions you might face in outdoor photography.

Olympus 550WP Display and Viewfinder

The Olympus 550WP features a 2.5 inch fixed display supporting a resolution of 230 thousand dots.

Please note that the display screen offers no touch support.

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The ViewFinder specifications regarding Olympus 550WP are below:

  • ViewFinder None

Viewfinders are really useful in sunny outdoor conditions which may make the camera display washed out and very difficult to view.

Olympus 550WP Shutter specs

The maximum shutter speed is 1/1000 sec.

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Olympus 550WP Flash and Hot shoe specs

Olympus 550WP boasts only inbuilt flash with missing external flash support.

Olympus 550WP Autofocus specs

Olympus 550WP boasts just Contrast Detect AF and does not have Phase Detect AF. Phase Detection focusing is a lot more snappier & exact in comparison with Contrast Detect focusing.

Olympus 550WP has not got manual focus. Manual focus can be useful in low light situations or you want more precise depth of field control.

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Olympus 550WP Battery life

The usual Small Sensor Compact camera battery life is 241. Fujifilm X30 comes with the maximum (470) battery life in this category of cameras.

Here is a listing of Small Sensor Compact cameras having the highest battery life:

Olympus 550WP for different categories of photography

The following illustration presents a summary of the Olympus 550WP for different categories of photography. To look at more, browse to the specific section underneath.

Olympus 550WP as a Portrait photography camera

The Olympus 550WP gets a rating of 19 which is low, meaning that it is not really good for portrait photography. Photographing portrait photos leans heavily to sensor dimension, RAW support plus the ability to utilize external lighting.

Photography Glossary
no manual focus
lack of manual exposure
can't use external flash
resolution not great (10 megapixels)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support

Olympus 550WP Street photography advice

With a above average points total of 61, the Olympus 550WP is a good pick to buy for street photography. A decent street photography camera comes with a perfect balance of image quality and portability.

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image stabilization (Digital)
weather sealing
no moving screen
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format

Olympus 550WP Sports photography info

A low sports photography points total of 30 indicates the Olympus 550WP is not really good for taking pictures of sports. A camera needs excellent tracking and fast continuous shooting for sports photography.

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image stabilization (Digital)
weather sealing
maximum shutter speed is a little low (1/1,000s)
lack of shutter priority mode
low megapixels (10 megapixels)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
no phase detect auto focus

Olympus 550WP Travel photography advice

Size is super critical in getting a camera for travel. On the whole, the Olympus 550WP gets a moderate 55 for a travel camera which makes it fairly suited for your journeys.

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environment proofing
has built in flash
does not have Time Lapse function
low MP (10MP)
screen is not selfie friendly
wide angle not the best (38mm)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)

Landscape photography with Olympus 550WP

When you are looking to purchase a digital camera for landscape photographs, the most significant factor will be image quality. The Olympus 550WP and it's low grade of 30 as a landscape camera is not really good compared to it's competitors.

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has image stabilization (Digital)
weather sealing
focusing manually not possible
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not the best (38mm)
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
screen is somewhat small (2.5")
manual exposure not possible
MP count low (10 megapixels)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW support
missing Time Lapse recording

Olympus 550WP Vlogging highlights

A camera for vlogging should come with a articulating display screen, microphone port and if possible image stabilization. Considering every thing, the Olympus 550WP is not really good for vlogging as it comes to a low score of 25.

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image stabilization (Digital)
wide angle not great (38mm)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
does not have selfie friendly display
video res low (640 x 480 pxls)
lack of microphone jack

Olympus 550WP Alternatives

If you want alternatives to the 550WP, here is a number of the top rated cameras which fall under the category of Small Sensor Compact.

The diagram listed below will give you an overview of the 550WP compared to it's top ranking rivals listed previously.

Here are a few more cameras you might look at as alternative options. To see a detailed comparison, simply click on the "compare" link.

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Specifications

General Information
Brand
Olympus
Model
Olympus Stylus 550WP
Also referred to as
mju 550WP
Class
Small Sensor Compact
Released
2009-01-07
Physical type
Compact
Sensor Information
Sensor type
CCD
Sensor size
1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions
6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor surface area
27.7mm²
Sensor resolution
10 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio
16:9, 4:3 and 3:2
Highest Possible resolution
3648 x 2736
RAW data
Maximum native ISO
1600
Minimum native ISO
64
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
AF continuous
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Lens
Lens mount
fixed lens
Lens focal range
38-114mm (3.0x)
Largest aperture
f/3.5-5.0
Macro focus distance
7cm
Crop factor
5.9
Screen
Type of display
Fixed Type
Display diagonal
2.5 inches
Display resolution
230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder
None
DXO scores
DXO Overall score
not tested
DXO Color Depth score
not tested
DXO Dynamic range score
not tested
DXO Low light score
not tested
Features
Min shutter speed
4s
Max shutter speed
1/1000s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash settings
Auto, Fill-in, Red-Eye reduction, Off, On
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions
640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps)
Maximum video resolution
640x480
Video format
Motion JPEG
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless
None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB
USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS
None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight
167g (0.37 lbs)
Dimensions
94 x 62 x 22mm (3.7" x 2.4" x 0.9")
Other
Self timer
Yes (12 seconds)
Time lapse recording
Storage type
xD-Picture Card, microSD, internal
Card slots
Single
Pricing at release
$399