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Nikon D5300 vs Sony A550

Portability
68
Imaging
65
Features
81
Overall
71
Nikon D5300 front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 front
Portability
63
Imaging
54
Features
65
Overall
58

Nikon D5300 vs Sony A550 Key Specs

Nikon D5300
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3.2" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 100 - 12800 (Expand to 25600)
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Nikon F Mount
  • 480g - 125 x 98 x 76mm
  • Announced February 2014
  • Succeeded the Nikon D5200
  • Replacement is Nikon D5500
Sony A550
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 200 - 12800
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 632g - 137 x 104 x 84mm
  • Launched December 2009
  • Previous Model is Sony A100
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Nikon D5300 vs Sony A550 Overview

Below, we are looking at the Nikon D5300 and Sony A550, both Entry-Level DSLR cameras by brands Nikon and Sony. There exists a noticeable gap among the resolutions of the D5300 (24MP) and A550 (14MP) but they enjoy the exact same sensor measurements (APS-C).

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The D5300 was released 4 years after the A550 which is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of the cameras come with the identical body type (Compact SLR).

Before we go through a detailed comparison, below is a simple highlight of how the D5300 grades against the A550 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Nikon D5300 over the Sony A550

 D5300 A550 
LaunchedFebruary 2014December 2009Newer by 51 months
Display typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating display
Display dimension3.2"3"Larger display (+0.2")
Display resolution1037k922kCrisper display (+115k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Reasons to pick Sony A550 over the Nikon D5300

 A550 D5300 

Common features in the Nikon D5300 and Sony A550

 D5300 A550 
Manual focus More exact focusing
Touch display Neither contains Touch display

Nikon D5300 vs Sony A550 Physical Comparison

In case you're planning to travel with your camera frequently, you should take into account its weight and proportions. The Nikon D5300 has got external measurements of 125mm x 98mm x 76mm (4.9" x 3.9" x 3.0") along with a weight of 480 grams (1.06 lbs) whilst the Sony A550 has measurements of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") with a weight of 632 grams (1.39 lbs).

Check the Nikon D5300 and Sony A550 in our completely 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 have chosen at that moment. Underneath is the front view size comparison of the D5300 vs the A550.

Nikon D5300 vs Sony A550 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the D5300 and A550 is 68 and 63 respectively.

Nikon D5300 vs Sony A550 top view buttons comparison

Nikon D5300 vs Sony A550 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it is very tough to visualise the gap in sensor dimensions merely by going through specifications. The image here will help give you a better sense of the sensor sizing in the D5300 and A550.

Plainly, the two cameras have got the exact same sensor measurements but not the same megapixels. You can anticipate the Nikon D5300 to provide more detail as a result of its extra 10MP. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop pics much more aggressively. The more modern D5300 will have an advantage with regard to sensor innovation.

Nikon D5300 vs Sony A550 sensor size comparison

Nikon D5300 vs Sony A550 Screen and ViewFinder

Nikon D5300 vs Sony A550 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Nikon D5300
Portrait photography with Sony A550
79
focusing manually
decent sensor resolution (24MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
includes face detect focusing
exports RAW files
72
has manual focus
sensor resolution is decent (14MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
provides face detection focusing
saves RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Nikon D5300 as a Street photography camera
Sony A550 as a Street photography camera
69
screen articulates
good sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW files
does not have image stabilization
74
screen tilts up and down
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
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Sports Comparison

Nikon D5300 as a Sports photography camera
Sony A550 as a Sports photography camera
65
decent sensor resolution (24MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
includes tracking focus
comes with phase detect AF
max fps low (5.0 fps)
does not have image stabilization
67
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor resolution is decent (14MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
comes with phase detect AF
not so great battery (480 CIPA)
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Nikon D5300
Travel photography with Sony A550
80
decent sensor resolution (24 megapixels)
built-in flash
selfie friendly display
52
sensor resolution is decent (14MP)
flash built-in
doesn't have Timelapse recording
not so great battery (480 shots)
screen is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Nikon D5300 Landscape photography advice
Sony A550 Landscape photography advice
76
focusing manually
swap lenses (Nikon F mount)
pretty good screen size (3.2 inches)
decent sensor resolution (24 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
no anti aliasing filter
exports RAW files
does not have image stabilization
66
has manual focus
swap lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
nice screen size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor resolution is decent (14MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
not so great battery (480 shots)
doesn't have Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Nikon D5300 Vlogging features
Sony A550 Vlogging features
72
selfie friendly display
includes face detect focusing
great video quality (1920 x 1080 pixels)
does have mic jack
does not have image stabilization
9
no video recording
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Nikon D5300 vs Sony A550 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Nikon D5300 and Sony A550
 Nikon D5300Sony Alpha DSLR-A550
General Information
Company Nikon Sony
Model type Nikon D5300 Sony Alpha DSLR-A550
Class Entry-Level DSLR Entry-Level DSLR
Announced 2014-02-12 2009-12-09
Physical type Compact SLR Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Chip Expeed 4 Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size APS-C APS-C
Sensor measurements 23.5 x 15.6mm 23.4 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 366.6mm² 365.0mm²
Sensor resolution 24MP 14MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 6000 x 4000 4592 x 3056
Highest native ISO 12800 12800
Highest boosted ISO 25600 -
Minimum native ISO 100 200
RAW support
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Total focus points 39 9
Cross type focus points 9 -
Lens
Lens mount type Nikon F Sony/Minolta Alpha
Amount of lenses 309 143
Focal length multiplier 1.5 1.5
Screen
Screen type Fully Articulated Tilting
Screen size 3.2" 3"
Screen resolution 1,037k dots 922k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Screen tech TFT LCD monitor -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentamirror) Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent 95 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.55x 0.53x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 30 seconds 30 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 5.0 frames/s 7.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 12.00 m (at ISO 100) 12.00 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow sync, Rear curtain Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/200 seconds 1/160 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60, 50, 30, 25, 24 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 50 fps), 640 x 424 (30, 25 fps) -
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 None
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264 -
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS BuiltIn None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 480 grams (1.06 lb) 632 grams (1.39 lb)
Dimensions 125 x 98 x 76mm (4.9" x 3.9" x 3.0") 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 83 66
DXO Color Depth rating 24.0 21.9
DXO Dynamic range rating 13.9 11.8
DXO Low light rating 1338 807
Other
Battery life 600 photographs 480 photographs
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID EN-EL14,EN-EL14a NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes (2, 5, 10 or 20 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots 1 1
Price at launch $429 $749