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Canon A3200 IS vs Sony A550

Portability
95
Imaging
37
Features
31
Overall
34
Canon PowerShot A3200 IS front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 front
Portability
63
Imaging
54
Features
65
Overall
58

Canon A3200 IS vs Sony A550 Key Specs

Canon A3200 IS
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 1600
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-140mm (F) lens
  • 149g - 95 x 57 x 24mm
  • Launched January 2011
Sony A550
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 200 - 12800
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 632g - 137 x 104 x 84mm
  • Introduced December 2009
  • Replaced the Sony A100
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Canon A3200 IS vs Sony A550 Overview

Below, we will be looking at the Canon A3200 IS versus Sony A550, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by manufacturers Canon and Sony. The image resolution of the A3200 IS (14MP) and the A550 (14MP) is relatively comparable but the A3200 IS (1/2.3") and A550 (APS-C) feature totally different sensor size.

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The A3200 IS was unveiled 14 months after the A550 which makes the cameras a generation away from one another. Both of the cameras come with different body type with the Canon A3200 IS being a Compact camera and the Sony A550 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before getting through a in depth comparison, below is a short view of how the A3200 IS grades versus the A550 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Canon A3200 IS over the Sony A550

 A3200 IS A550 
IntroducedJanuary 2011December 2009Newer by 14 months

Reasons to pick Sony A550 over the Canon A3200 IS

 A550 A3200 IS 
Manual focus Very accurate focus
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen dimension3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution922k230kCrisper screen (+692k dot)

Common features in the Canon A3200 IS and Sony A550

 A3200 IS A550 
Selfie screen Lack of selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Neither has Touch friendly screen

Canon A3200 IS vs Sony A550 Physical Comparison

If you're planning to travel with your camera regularly, you will want to factor its weight and volume. The Canon A3200 IS has outside measurements of 95mm x 57mm x 24mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") having a weight of 149 grams (0.33 lbs) whilst the Sony A550 has sizing of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") and a weight of 632 grams (1.39 lbs).

Check out the Canon A3200 IS versus Sony A550 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you are utilising at that time. The following is the front view dimension comparison of the A3200 IS compared to the A550.

Canon A3200 IS vs Sony A550 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the A3200 IS and A550 is 95 and 63 respectively.

Canon A3200 IS vs Sony A550 top view buttons comparison

Canon A3200 IS vs Sony A550 Sensor Comparison

Normally, its tough to see the contrast in sensor dimensions merely by checking out specs. The picture underneath may offer you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the A3200 IS and A550.

As you can plainly see, each of the cameras have got the exact same megapixels albeit not the same sensor dimensions. The A3200 IS provides the smaller sensor which is going to make achieving shallower depth of field harder. The more recent A3200 IS is going to have an edge with regard to sensor technology.

Canon A3200 IS vs Sony A550 sensor size comparison

Canon A3200 IS vs Sony A550 Screen and ViewFinder

Canon A3200 IS vs Sony A550 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Canon A3200 IS
Portrait photography with Sony A550
33
resolution is good (14 megapixels)
includes face detect autofocus
lack of manual focus
manual mode not possible
external flash not possible
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
72
focusing manually
good resolution (14 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
features face detect focusing
saves RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Canon A3200 IS Street photography details
Sony A550 Street photography details
57
image stabilization (Optical)
fixed screen
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
74
screen tilts up and down
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
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Sports Comparison

Canon A3200 IS Sports photography factors
Sony A550 Sports photography factors
39
image stabilization (Optical)
resolution is good (14MP)
includes tracking focus
slow continuous shooting (1.0 fps)
lack of shutter priority mode
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect autofocus
67
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good resolution (14MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
supports phase detect AF
terrible battery (480 shots)
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Travel Comparison

Canon A3200 IS Travel photography info
Sony A550 Travel photography info
72
resolution is good (14MP)
has built in flash
relatively wide (28mm)
good max aperture (f)
missing Timelapse function
display isn't selfie friendly
52
good resolution (14 megapixels)
flash built-in
no Time Lapse recording
terrible battery (480 per charge)
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Canon A3200 IS Landscape photography advice
Sony A550 Landscape photography advice
42
relatively wide (28mm)
good max aperture (f)
image stabilization (Optical)
resolution is good (14MP)
lack of manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
tiny screen (2.7")
manual mode not possible
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
missing Timelapse function
66
focusing manually
switch lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good resolution (14 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
terrible battery (480 shots)
no Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Canon A3200 IS Vlogging features
Sony A550 Vlogging features
34
relatively wide (28mm)
good max aperture (f)
image stabilization (Optical)
includes face detect autofocus
display isn't selfie friendly
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pxls)
missing microphone jack
9
lack of video recording
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Canon A3200 IS vs Sony A550 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Canon A3200 IS and Sony A550
 Canon PowerShot A3200 ISSony Alpha DSLR-A550
General Information
Manufacturer Canon Sony
Model type Canon PowerShot A3200 IS Sony Alpha DSLR-A550
Class Small Sensor Compact Entry-Level DSLR
Launched 2011-01-05 2009-12-09
Body design Compact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Chip DIGIC 4 with iSAPS technology Bionz
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 23.4 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 365.0mm²
Sensor resolution 14 megapixel 14 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4320 x 3240 4592 x 3056
Maximum native ISO 1600 12800
Lowest native ISO 80 200
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Total focus points 9 9
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens zoom range 28-140mm (5.0x) -
Macro focusing range 3cm -
Total lenses - 143
Focal length multiplier 5.8 1.5
Screen
Range of display Fixed Type Tilting
Display diagonal 2.7 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 230 thousand dot 922 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder coverage - 95%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.53x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 15 seconds 30 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/1600 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 1.0 frames/s 7.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 4.00 m 12.00 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Smart Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash sync - 1/160 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (24 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) -
Maximum video resolution 1280x720 None
Video data format H.264 -
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None 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 149 gr (0.33 lbs) 632 gr (1.39 lbs)
Dimensions 95 x 57 x 24mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested 66
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 21.9
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 11.8
DXO Low light rating not tested 807
Other
Battery life - 480 images
Battery format - Battery Pack
Battery ID NB-8L NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, Custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC/MMC/MMCplus/HCMMCplus SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots 1 1
Retail cost $230 $749