Canon A480 vs Sony W550
94 Imaging
33 Features
13 Overall
25


96 Imaging
37 Features
28 Overall
33
Canon A480 vs Sony W550 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 10MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 2.5" Fixed Display
- ISO 80 - 1600
- 640 x 480 video
- 37-122mm (F3.0-5.8) lens
- 140g - 92 x 62 x 31mm
- Introduced January 2009
(Full Review)
- 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Display
- ISO 80 - 3200
- Optical Image Stabilization
- 1280 x 720 video
- 26-104mm (F2.7-5.7) lens
- 110g - 94 x 56 x 19mm
- Introduced July 2011

Canon A480 vs Sony W550 Overview
Let's look a little more in depth at the Canon A480 versus Sony W550, both Ultracompact cameras by competitors Canon and Sony. There is a substantial difference among the image resolutions of the A480 (10MP) and W550 (14MP) but they possess the exact same sensor dimensions (1/2.3").

The A480 was introduced 3 years earlier than the W550 and that is a fairly big difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both cameras come with the identical body type (Ultracompact).
Before delving through a more detailed comparison, below is a concise view of how the A480 matches up against the W550 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Canon A480 vs Sony W550 Gallery
Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Canon PowerShot A480 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W550. The whole galleries are available at Canon A480 Gallery & Sony W550 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Canon A480 over the Sony W550
A480 | W550 |
---|
Reasons to pick Sony W550 over the Canon A480
W550 | A480 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Introduced | July 2011 | ![]() | January 2009 | Fresher by 30 months |
Display dimension | 3" | ![]() | 2.5" | Larger display (+0.5") |
Display resolution | 230k | ![]() | 115k | Crisper display (+115k dot) |
Common features in the Canon A480 and Sony W550
A480 | W550 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Manual focus | ![]() | No manual focusing | ||
Display type | Fixed | ![]() | Fixed | Fixed display |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Neither comes with selfie screen | ||
Touch friendly display | ![]() | No Touch friendly display |
Canon A480 vs Sony W550 Physical Comparison
For anybody who is intending to carry your camera regularly, you have to consider its weight and dimensions. The Canon A480 comes with outer dimensions of 92mm x 62mm x 31mm (3.6" x 2.4" x 1.2") having a weight of 140 grams (0.31 lbs) while the Sony W550 has dimensions of 94mm x 56mm x 19mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.7") with a weight of 110 grams (0.24 lbs).
Contrast the Canon A480 versus Sony W550 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Take into account, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you are utilizing during that time. The following is the front view size comparison of the A480 compared to the W550.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability rating of the A480 and W550 is 94 and 96 respectively.

Canon A480 vs Sony W550 Sensor Comparison
Usually, it is very difficult to imagine the gap in sensor sizing simply by viewing a spec sheet. The photograph here will help give you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the A480 and W550.
Clearly, both the cameras posses the exact same sensor measurements but different resolution. You can anticipate the Sony W550 to result in more detail using its extra 4MP. Greater resolution will also let you crop photos somewhat more aggressively. The older A480 will be behind in sensor technology.

Canon A480 vs Sony W550 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Canon A480 vs Sony W550 Specifications
Canon PowerShot A480 | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W550 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Brand Name | Canon | Sony |
Model type | Canon PowerShot A480 | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W550 |
Type | Ultracompact | Ultracompact |
Introduced | 2009-01-15 | 2011-07-24 |
Physical type | Ultracompact | Ultracompact |
Sensor Information | ||
Processor Chip | - | BIONZ |
Sensor type | CCD | CCD |
Sensor size | 1/2.3" | 1/2.3" |
Sensor measurements | 6.17 x 4.55mm | 6.17 x 4.55mm |
Sensor area | 28.1mm² | 28.1mm² |
Sensor resolution | 10MP | 14MP |
Anti alias filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 4:3 and 16:9 | 4:3 and 16:9 |
Highest resolution | 3648 x 2736 | 4320 x 3240 |
Highest native ISO | 1600 | 3200 |
Min native ISO | 80 | 80 |
RAW images | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
Touch focus | ||
Autofocus continuous | ||
Single autofocus | ||
Autofocus tracking | ||
Selective autofocus | ||
Autofocus center weighted | ||
Multi area autofocus | ||
Autofocus live view | ||
Face detect focus | ||
Contract detect focus | ||
Phase detect focus | ||
Total focus points | 5 | 9 |
Lens | ||
Lens support | fixed lens | fixed lens |
Lens zoom range | 37-122mm (3.3x) | 26-104mm (4.0x) |
Largest aperture | f/3.0-5.8 | f/2.7-5.7 |
Macro focusing range | 1cm | 5cm |
Crop factor | 5.8 | 5.8 |
Screen | ||
Display type | Fixed Type | Fixed Type |
Display size | 2.5 inch | 3 inch |
Resolution of display | 115 thousand dots | 230 thousand dots |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch function | ||
Display tech | - | Clear Photo LCD |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder | None | None |
Features | ||
Slowest shutter speed | 15 seconds | 2 seconds |
Maximum shutter speed | 1/2000 seconds | 1/1600 seconds |
Continuous shooting rate | 1.0 frames per sec | 1.0 frames per sec |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manually set exposure | ||
Set white balance | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Built-in flash | ||
Flash distance | 3.00 m | 3.80 m |
Flash modes | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync | Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync |
Hot shoe | ||
Auto exposure bracketing | ||
WB bracketing | ||
Maximum flash synchronize | 1/500 seconds | - |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment exposure | ||
Average exposure | ||
Spot exposure | ||
Partial exposure | ||
AF area exposure | ||
Center weighted exposure | ||
Video features | ||
Video resolutions | 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) | 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) |
Highest video resolution | 640x480 | 1280x720 |
Video file format | - | MPEG-4 |
Microphone port | ||
Headphone port | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | None | None |
Bluetooth | ||
NFC | ||
HDMI | ||
USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
GPS | None | None |
Physical | ||
Environment sealing | ||
Water proofing | ||
Dust proofing | ||
Shock proofing | ||
Crush proofing | ||
Freeze proofing | ||
Weight | 140g (0.31 pounds) | 110g (0.24 pounds) |
Dimensions | 92 x 62 x 31mm (3.6" x 2.4" x 1.2") | 94 x 56 x 19mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.7") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO All around rating | not tested | not tested |
DXO Color Depth rating | not tested | not tested |
DXO Dynamic range rating | not tested | not tested |
DXO Low light rating | not tested | not tested |
Other | ||
Battery ID | 2 x AA | NP-BN1 |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 10 sec, custom) | Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2) |
Time lapse recording | ||
Type of storage | SC/SDHC/MMC/MMCplus, internal | SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Duo/Memory Stick Pro Duo, Memory Stick Pro-HG Duo |
Card slots | One | - |
Retail price | $210 | $119 |