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Canon 550D vs Sony A390

Portability
70
Imaging
58
Features
63
Overall
60
Canon EOS 550D front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A390 front
Portability
66
Imaging
54
Features
54
Overall
54

Canon 550D vs Sony A390 Key Specs

Canon 550D
(Full Review)
  • 18MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400 (Raise to 12800)
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Canon EF/EF-S Mount
  • 530g - 129 x 98 x 62mm
  • Introduced April 2010
  • Also referred to as EOS Rebel T2i / EOS Kiss X4
  • Previous Model is Canon 500D
  • Later Model is Canon 600D
Sony A390
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 2.7" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 549g - 128 x 97 x 86mm
  • Revealed July 2010
  • Previous Model is Sony A380
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Canon 550D vs Sony A390 Overview

Its time to take a more detailed look at the Canon 550D vs Sony A390, both Entry-Level DSLR digital cameras by brands Canon and Sony. There is a noticeable difference between the sensor resolutions of the 550D (18MP) and A390 (14MP) but they enjoy the exact same sensor dimensions (APS-C).

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The 550D was released 3 months earlier than the A390 and they are of a similar age. Both of the cameras come with the identical body type (Compact SLR).

Before delving through a step-by-step comparison, below is a concise view of how the 550D grades versus the A390 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Canon 550D over the Sony A390

 550D A390 
Screen dimension3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution1040k230kClearer screen (+810k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony A390 over the Canon 550D

 A390 550D 
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen

Common features in the Canon 550D and Sony A390

 550D A390 
RevealedApril 2010July 2010Similar age
Manually focus Very precise focusing
Selfie screen Neither contains selfie screen
Touch screen Neither contains Touch screen

Canon 550D vs Sony A390 Physical Comparison

If you are planning to travel with your camera often, you're going to have to take into account its weight and measurements. The Canon 550D has got outside dimensions of 129mm x 98mm x 62mm (5.1" x 3.9" x 2.4") and a weight of 530 grams (1.17 lbs) whilst the Sony A390 has proportions of 128mm x 97mm x 86mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 3.4") with a weight of 549 grams (1.21 lbs).

Compare the Canon 550D vs Sony A390 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you are working with at the time. Following is the front view dimensions comparison of the 550D compared to the A390.

Canon 550D vs Sony A390 size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability score of the 550D and A390 is 70 and 66 respectively.

Canon 550D vs Sony A390 top view buttons comparison

Canon 550D vs Sony A390 Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, it's hard to picture the contrast between sensor dimensions merely by reading specifications. The image below might give you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the 550D and A390.

Plainly, both of the cameras posses the exact same sensor measurements albeit different resolution. You can expect the Canon 550D to offer you extra detail as a result of its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop pictures somewhat more aggressively.

Canon 550D vs Sony A390 sensor size comparison

Canon 550D vs Sony A390 Screen and ViewFinder

Canon 550D vs Sony A390 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Canon 550D Portrait photography factors
Sony A390 Portrait photography factors
74
manual focus
megapixel count good (18MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
features face detect focus
delivers RAW files
72
manual focus
decent sensor resolution (14 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
has face detect focus
exports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Canon 550D Street photography advice
Sony A390 Street photography advice
60
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
fixed screen
lack of image stabilization
76
tilting screen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
exports RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Canon 550D
Sports photography with Sony A390
54
megapixel count good (18 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
has phase detect auto focus
painfully slow continuous shooting (4.0 frames/s)
lack of image stabilization
low battery life (470 shots)
60
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor resolution (14 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
supports phase detect auto focus
slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames per second)
not so great battery power (230 per charge)
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Travel Comparison

Canon 550D Travel photography features
Sony A390 Travel photography features
55
megapixel count good (18 megapixels)
has built in flash
doesn't have Timelapse function
low battery life (470 CIPA)
does not feature selfie friendly display
53
decent sensor resolution (14 megapixels)
flash built-in
lack of Timelapse mode
not so great battery power (230 CIPA)
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Canon 550D Landscape photography features
Sony A390 Landscape photography features
63
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Canon EF/EF-S mount)
screen size is good (3")
megapixel count good (18 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
lack of image stabilization
low battery life (470 shots)
doesn't have Timelapse function
61
manual focus
swap lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor resolution (14 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
exports RAW files
small screen (2.7 inches)
not so great battery power (230 shots)
lack of Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Canon 550D as a Vlogging camera
Sony A390 as a Vlogging camera
31
features face detect focus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
has microphone jack
does not feature selfie friendly display
lack of image stabilization
9
can't shoot video
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Canon 550D vs Sony A390 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Canon 550D and Sony A390
 Canon EOS 550DSony Alpha DSLR-A390
General Information
Brand Canon Sony
Model Canon EOS 550D Sony Alpha DSLR-A390
Also referred to as EOS Rebel T2i / EOS Kiss X4 -
Type Entry-Level DSLR Entry-Level DSLR
Introduced 2010-04-01 2010-07-28
Body design Compact SLR Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Digic 4 Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size APS-C APS-C
Sensor measurements 22.3 x 14.9mm 23.5 x 15.7mm
Sensor surface area 332.3mm² 369.0mm²
Sensor resolution 18 megapixels 14 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 5184 x 3456 4592 x 3056
Max native ISO 6400 3200
Max boosted ISO 12800 -
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW images
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Number of focus points 9 9
Lens
Lens mount Canon EF/EF-S Sony/Minolta Alpha
Available lenses 326 143
Focal length multiplier 1.6 1.5
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Tilting
Screen size 3" 2.7"
Resolution of screen 1,040k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Screen tech TFT color liquid-crystal LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent 95 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.55x 0.49x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 30 seconds 30 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 4.0 frames per sec 3.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 13.00 m 10.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-eye Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Wireless
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/200 seconds 1/160 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30, 25, 24 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 50 fps), 640 x 480 (60, 50 fps) -
Max video resolution 1920x1080 None
Video data 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 proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 530g (1.17 lb) 549g (1.21 lb)
Dimensions 129 x 98 x 62mm (5.1" x 3.9" x 2.4") 128 x 97 x 86mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 3.4")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 66 66
DXO Color Depth score 22.0 22.5
DXO Dynamic range score 11.6 11.5
DXO Low light score 807 607
Other
Battery life 470 shots 230 shots
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model LP-E8 NP-FH50
Self timer Yes (2 sec or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo
Storage slots 1 1
Price at launch $599 $500