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Canon 500D vs Sony A550

Portability
70
Imaging
54
Features
59
Overall
56
Canon EOS 500D front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 front
Portability
63
Imaging
54
Features
65
Overall
58

Canon 500D vs Sony A550 Key Specs

Canon 500D
(Full Review)
  • 15MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 3200 (Boost to 12800)
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Canon EF/EF-S Mount
  • 520g - 129 x 98 x 62mm
  • Revealed June 2009
  • Also Known as EOS Rebel T1i / EOS Kiss X3
  • Older Model is Canon 450D
  • Renewed by Canon 550D
Sony A550
(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
  • Announced December 2009
  • Replaced the Sony A100
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Canon 500D vs Sony A550 Overview

Below is a in-depth review of the Canon 500D and Sony A550, both Entry-Level DSLR digital cameras by rivals Canon and Sony. The image resolution of the 500D (15MP) and the A550 (14MP) is very similar and both cameras have the same sensor measurements (APS-C).

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The 500D was released 6 months prior to the A550 so they are both of a similar generation. Both of the cameras have the same body design (Compact SLR).

Before delving into a complete comparison, here is a brief view of how the 500D scores against the A550 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Canon 500D over the Sony A550

 500D A550 

Reasons to pick Sony A550 over the Canon 500D

 A550 500D 
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display resolution922k920kSharper display (+2k dot)

Common features in the Canon 500D and Sony A550

 500D A550 
AnnouncedJune 2009December 2009Similar generation
Manual focus Very accurate focusing
Display dimensions3"3"Equal display measurements
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen
Touch friendly display Missing Touch friendly display

Canon 500D vs Sony A550 Physical Comparison

In case you're going to lug around your camera frequently, you're going to have to consider its weight and size. The Canon 500D comes with outside measurements of 129mm x 98mm x 62mm (5.1" x 3.9" x 2.4") and a weight of 520 grams (1.15 lbs) whilst the Sony A550 has specifications of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") and a weight of 632 grams (1.39 lbs).

Compare the Canon 500D and Sony A550 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you are using at that moment. The following is a front view physical size comparison of the 500D compared to the A550.

Canon 500D vs Sony A550 size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability score of the 500D and A550 is 70 and 63 respectively.

Canon 500D vs Sony A550 top view buttons comparison

Canon 500D vs Sony A550 Sensor Comparison

Usually, its tough to visualise the gap between sensor measurements merely by reading a spec sheet. The photograph here may offer you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the 500D and A550.

As you can see, both the cameras have the same sensor dimensions but not the same MP. You should expect to see the Canon 500D to offer extra detail as a result of its extra 1 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also make it easier to crop photos a bit more aggressively.

Canon 500D vs Sony A550 sensor size comparison

Canon 500D vs Sony A550 Screen and ViewFinder

Canon 500D vs Sony A550 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Canon 500D as a Portrait photography camera
Sony A550 as a Portrait photography camera
72
you can focus manually
good resolution (15MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
includes face detection focus
exports RAW formats
72
you can focus manually
sensor resolution is decent (14 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
comes with face detection focus
supports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Canon 500D as a Street photography camera
Sony A550 as a Street photography camera
59
nice sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
fixed screen
no image stabilization
74
screen tilts
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Canon 500D
Sports photography with Sony A550
52
good resolution (15 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
has phase detect auto focus
very slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames/s)
no image stabilization
not so great battery power (440 CIPA)
67
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor resolution is decent (14 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
supports phase detect auto focus
low battery pack (480 per charge)
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Travel Comparison

Canon 500D Travel photography advice
Sony A550 Travel photography advice
54
good resolution (15 megapixels)
built-in flash
doesn't have Timelapse mode
not so great battery power (440 shots)
doesn't have selfie friendly display
52
sensor resolution is decent (14MP)
has built in flash
lack of Timelapse mode
low battery pack (480 per charge)
does not contain selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Canon 500D as a Landscape photography camera
Sony A550 as a Landscape photography camera
61
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Canon EF/EF-S mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
good resolution (15 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
no image stabilization
not so great battery power (440 per charge)
doesn't have Timelapse mode
66
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen is a decent size (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor resolution is decent (14 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
low battery pack (480 per charge)
lack of Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Canon 500D Vlogging features
Sony A550 Vlogging features
27
includes face detection focus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
doesn't have selfie friendly display
no image stabilization
doesn't have external microphone jack
9
no video shooting
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Canon 500D vs Sony A550 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Canon 500D and Sony A550
 Canon EOS 500DSony Alpha DSLR-A550
General Information
Make Canon Sony
Model type Canon EOS 500D Sony Alpha DSLR-A550
Also called as EOS Rebel T1i / EOS Kiss X3 -
Category Entry-Level DSLR Entry-Level DSLR
Revealed 2009-06-08 2009-12-09
Body design Compact SLR Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Powered by Digic 4 Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size APS-C APS-C
Sensor measurements 22.3 x 14.9mm 23.4 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 332.3mm² 365.0mm²
Sensor resolution 15MP 14MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4752 x 3168 4592 x 3056
Highest native ISO 3200 12800
Highest enhanced ISO 12800 -
Lowest native ISO 100 200
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
AF single
AF tracking
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Total focus points 9 9
Lens
Lens support Canon EF/EF-S Sony/Minolta Alpha
Number of lenses 326 143
Focal length multiplier 1.6 1.5
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Tilting
Screen size 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of screen 920 thousand dot 922 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Screen tech TFT color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentamirror) Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder coverage 95% 95%
Viewfinder magnification 0.55x 0.53x
Features
Min shutter speed 30 seconds 30 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shutter speed 3.0fps 7.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 13.00 m 12.00 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-eye Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Max flash sync 1/200 seconds 1/160 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (20 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) -
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 None
Video format H.264 -
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 520 gr (1.15 pounds) 632 gr (1.39 pounds)
Physical dimensions 129 x 98 x 62mm (5.1" x 3.9" x 2.4") 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 63 66
DXO Color Depth rating 21.7 21.9
DXO Dynamic range rating 11.5 11.8
DXO Low light rating 663 807
Other
Battery life 440 pictures 480 pictures
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID LP-E5 NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes (2 sec or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots 1 1
Launch price $650 $749