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Canon 550D vs Sony A500

Portability
70
Imaging
58
Features
63
Overall
60
Canon EOS 550D front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 front
Portability
63
Imaging
52
Features
52
Overall
52

Canon 550D vs Sony A500 Key Specs

Canon 550D
(Full Review)
  • 18MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400 (Bump 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
  • Superseded the Canon 500D
  • Successor is Canon 600D
Sony A500
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 200 - 12800
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 630g - 137 x 104 x 84mm
  • Launched August 2009
  • Updated by Sony A560
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Canon 550D vs Sony A500 Overview

Following is a detailed assessment of the Canon 550D and Sony A500, both Entry-Level DSLR digital cameras by brands Canon and Sony. There is a huge difference between the image resolutions of the 550D (18MP) and A500 (12MP) but they feature the exact same sensor sizing (APS-C).

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The 550D was launched 8 months after the A500 and they are of a similar generation. Both the cameras come with the identical body type (Compact SLR).

Before we go straight into a in-depth comparison, below is a concise synopsis of how the 550D grades against the A500 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Canon 550D over the Sony A500

 550D A500 
LaunchedApril 2010August 2009More modern by 8 months
Display resolution1040k230kSharper display (+810k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony A500 over the Canon 550D

 A500 550D 
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display

Common features in the Canon 550D and Sony A500

 550D A500 
Manually focus Dial precise focusing
Display dimension3"3"Identical display measurement
Selfie screen Neither contains selfie screen
Touch friendly display Neither contains Touch friendly display

Canon 550D vs Sony A500 Physical Comparison

In case you're looking to carry around your camera frequently, you have to consider its weight and volume. The Canon 550D has got exterior measurements of 129mm x 98mm x 62mm (5.1" x 3.9" x 2.4") having a weight of 530 grams (1.17 lbs) whilst the Sony A500 has sizing of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") with a weight of 630 grams (1.39 lbs).

Contrast the Canon 550D and Sony A500 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 dependant on the lens you are utilizing at that time. Here is the front view measurement comparison of the 550D against the A500.

Canon 550D vs Sony A500 size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability score of the 550D and A500 is 70 and 63 respectively.

Canon 550D vs Sony A500 top view buttons comparison

Canon 550D vs Sony A500 Sensor Comparison

Often, it can be difficult to picture the difference between sensor sizes merely by reading through a spec sheet. The picture below might give you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the 550D and A500.

Clearly, the 2 cameras have got the exact same sensor measurements but different megapixels. You should expect to see the Canon 550D to give you greater detail utilizing its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop pics much more aggressively. The fresher 550D provides an edge when it comes to sensor technology.

Canon 550D vs Sony A500 sensor size comparison

Canon 550D vs Sony A500 Screen and ViewFinder

Canon 550D vs Sony A500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Canon 550D Portrait photography info
Sony A500 Portrait photography info
74
has manual focus
sensor resolution is decent (18MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
provides face detection focusing
delivers RAW files
63
manual focus
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
supports face detect autofocus
saves RAW files
low megapixels (12MP)
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Street Comparison

Canon 550D Street photography details
Sony A500 Street photography details
60
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
screen does not articulate
lack of image stabilization
74
screen tilts up and down
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
saves RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Canon 550D as a Sports photography camera
Sony A500 as a Sports photography camera
54
sensor resolution is decent (18MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
has phase detect AF
low fps (4.0 frames/s)
lack of image stabilization
bad battery life (470 shots)
51
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
supports phase detect autofocus
max frames per second very slow (5.0 frames/s)
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
not so great battery (520 per charge)
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Travel Comparison

Canon 550D Travel photography details
Sony A500 Travel photography details
55
sensor resolution is decent (18 megapixels)
flash built-in
missing Timelapse function
bad battery life (470 per charge)
does not contain selfie friendly screen
43
flash built-in
doesn't have Timelapse function
not so great battery (520 CIPA)
low megapixels (12MP)
display isn't selfie friendly
Photography Glossary

Landscape Comparison

Canon 550D Landscape photography advice
Sony A500 Landscape photography advice
63
has manual focus
swap lenses (Canon EF/EF-S mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
sensor resolution is decent (18 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
lack of image stabilization
bad battery life (470 shots)
missing Timelapse function
60
manual focus
switch lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
good sized screen (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
saves RAW files
low megapixels (12MP)
not so great battery (520 per charge)
doesn't have Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Canon 550D
Vlogging with Sony A500
31
provides face detection focusing
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
has external microphone port
does not contain selfie friendly screen
lack of image stabilization
9
can't record video
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Canon 550D vs Sony A500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Canon 550D and Sony A500
 Canon EOS 550DSony Alpha DSLR-A500
General Information
Brand Canon Sony
Model Canon EOS 550D Sony Alpha DSLR-A500
Also referred to as EOS Rebel T2i / EOS Kiss X4 -
Category Entry-Level DSLR Entry-Level DSLR
Introduced 2010-04-01 2009-08-27
Body design Compact SLR Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Digic 4 Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size APS-C APS-C
Sensor measurements 22.3 x 14.9mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 332.3mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 18 megapixels 12 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 5184 x 3456 4272 x 2848
Max native ISO 6400 12800
Max boosted ISO 12800 -
Minimum native ISO 100 200
RAW images
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Number of focus points 9 9
Lens
Lens mounting type Canon EF/EF-S Sony/Minolta Alpha
Total lenses 326 143
Focal length multiplier 1.6 1.5
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Tilting
Display size 3 inch 3 inch
Display resolution 1,040 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Display tech TFT color liquid-crystal LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder coverage 95% 95%
Viewfinder magnification 0.55x 0.53x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 30 secs 30 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 4.0fps 5.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 13.00 m 12.00 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-eye Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Maximum flash sync 1/200 secs 1/160 secs
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
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 file format H.264 -
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
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 530 gr (1.17 lbs) 630 gr (1.39 lbs)
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 All around score 66 64
DXO Color Depth score 22.0 21.8
DXO Dynamic range score 11.6 11.6
DXO Low light score 807 772
Other
Battery life 470 photographs 520 photographs
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model LP-E8 NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes (2 sec or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots Single Single
Retail cost $599 $638