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Canon 550D vs Sony A65

Portability
70
Imaging
58
Features
63
Overall
60
Canon EOS 550D front
 
Sony SLT-A65 front
Portability
64
Imaging
63
Features
85
Overall
71

Canon 550D vs Sony A65 Key Specs

Canon 550D
(Full Review)
  • 18MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400 (Increase to 12800)
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Canon EF/EF-S Mount
  • 530g - 129 x 98 x 62mm
  • Revealed April 2010
  • Alternate Name is EOS Rebel T2i / EOS Kiss X4
  • Earlier Model is Canon 500D
  • Replacement is Canon 600D
Sony A65
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 100 - 12800 (Push to 25600)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 622g - 132 x 97 x 81mm
  • Revealed November 2011
  • Refreshed by Sony A68
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Canon 550D vs Sony A65 Overview

Lets look more closely at the Canon 550D and Sony A65, both Entry-Level DSLR cameras by competitors Canon and Sony. There is a large difference among the image resolutions of the 550D (18MP) and A65 (24MP) but both cameras provide the same sensor measurements (APS-C).

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The 550D was manufactured 19 months before the A65 which makes them a generation away from each other. Each of these cameras have the same body design (Compact SLR).

Before diving into a step-by-step comparison, here is a brief view of how the 550D grades versus the A65 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Canon 550D over the Sony A65

 550D A65 
Screen resolution1040k921kClearer screen (+119k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony A65 over the Canon 550D

 A65 550D 
RevealedNovember 2011April 2010More modern by 19 months
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Selfie screen Take selfies

Common features in the Canon 550D and Sony A65

 550D A65 
Manually focus More exact focusing
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen measurements
Touch screen Absent Touch screen

Canon 550D vs Sony A65 Physical Comparison

If you are planning to carry around your camera frequently, you need to think about its weight and dimensions. The Canon 550D features exterior 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 A65 has dimensions of 132mm x 97mm x 81mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 3.2") accompanied by a weight of 622 grams (1.37 lbs).

Take a look at the Canon 550D and Sony A65 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you use at that time. The following is a front view dimensions comparison of the 550D against the A65.

Canon 550D vs Sony A65 size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability grade of the 550D and A65 is 70 and 64 respectively.

Canon 550D vs Sony A65 top view buttons comparison

Canon 550D vs Sony A65 Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, it's tough to visualize the difference in sensor sizes just by researching specifications. The image here should give you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the 550D and A65.

To sum up, both of the cameras provide the same sensor dimensions albeit different megapixels. You can count on the Sony A65 to provide you with more detail due to its extra 6MP. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop shots more aggressively. The more aged 550D will be behind when it comes to sensor tech.

Canon 550D vs Sony A65 sensor size comparison

Canon 550D vs Sony A65 Screen and ViewFinder

Canon 550D vs Sony A65 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Canon 550D Portrait photography factors
Sony A65 Portrait photography factors
74
focusing manually
MP count decent (18MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
supports face detect autofocus
exports RAW files
77
manual focus
decent megapixels (24 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
provides face detection autofocus
delivers RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Canon 550D Street photography advice
Sony A65 Street photography advice
60
decent sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW files
fixed screen
does not have image stabilization
77
fully articulated screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
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Sports Comparison

Canon 550D Sports photography advice
Sony A65 Sports photography advice
54
MP count decent (18 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
supports phase detect autofocus
max frames per second very slow (4.0 fps)
does not have image stabilization
terrible battery power (470 CIPA)
81
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent megapixels (24 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
provides tracking autofocus
has phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Canon 550D Travel photography details
Sony A65 Travel photography details
55
MP count decent (18 megapixels)
flash built-in
no Time Lapse function
terrible battery power (470 shots)
screen isn't selfie friendly
68
decent megapixels (24 megapixels)
flash built-in
selfie friendly screen
no Time Lapse function
Photography Glossary

Landscape Comparison

Canon 550D Landscape photography advice
Sony A65 Landscape photography advice
63
focusing manually
swap lenses (Canon EF/EF-S mount)
decent sized screen (3")
MP count decent (18 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW files
does not have image stabilization
terrible battery power (470 CIPA)
no Time Lapse function
75
manual focus
swap lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
pretty good screen size (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent megapixels (24 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
no Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Canon 550D
Vlogging with Sony A65
31
supports face detect autofocus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
comes with mic support
screen isn't selfie friendly
does not have image stabilization
78
selfie friendly screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
provides face detection autofocus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
has external mic jack
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Canon 550D vs Sony A65 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Canon 550D and Sony A65
 Canon EOS 550DSony SLT-A65
General Information
Company Canon Sony
Model type Canon EOS 550D Sony SLT-A65
Also referred to as EOS Rebel T2i / EOS Kiss X4 -
Type Entry-Level DSLR Entry-Level DSLR
Revealed 2010-04-01 2011-11-15
Body design Compact SLR Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Chip Digic 4 Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size APS-C APS-C
Sensor dimensions 22.3 x 14.9mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 332.3mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 18MP 24MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 5184 x 3456 6000 x 4000
Maximum native ISO 6400 12800
Maximum enhanced ISO 12800 25600
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Total focus points 9 15
Cross type focus points - 3
Lens
Lens mount type Canon EF/EF-S Sony/Minolta Alpha
Amount of lenses 326 143
Crop factor 1.6 1.5
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Screen size 3 inches 3 inches
Screen resolution 1,040 thousand dot 921 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Screen technology TFT color liquid-crystal LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentamirror) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage 95% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.55x 0.73x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 30 secs 30 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shutter speed 4.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 13.00 m 10.00 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-eye Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/200 secs 1/160 secs
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30, 25, 24 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 50 fps), 640 x 480 (60, 50 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60, 24 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 640 x 424 (29.97 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data format H.264 MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 530 gr (1.17 lbs) 622 gr (1.37 lbs)
Physical dimensions 129 x 98 x 62mm (5.1" x 3.9" x 2.4") 132 x 97 x 81mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 3.2")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 66 74
DXO Color Depth rating 22.0 23.4
DXO Dynamic range rating 11.6 12.6
DXO Low light rating 807 717
Other
Battery life 470 pictures 560 pictures
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID LP-E8 NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes (2 sec or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots One One
Launch price $599 $700