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Nikon D5500 vs Sony A230

Portability
71
Imaging
66
Features
85
Overall
73
Nikon D5500 front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A230 front
Portability
69
Imaging
50
Features
40
Overall
46

Nikon D5500 vs Sony A230 Key Specs

Nikon D5500
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3.2" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Nikon F Mount
  • 420g - 124 x 97 x 70mm
  • Introduced January 2015
  • Old Model is Nikon D5300
  • Renewed by Nikon D5600
Sony A230
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 490g - 128 x 97 x 68mm
  • Announced May 2009
  • Earlier Model is Sony A200
  • Newer Model is Sony A290
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Nikon D5500 vs Sony A230 Overview

Lets look closer at the Nikon D5500 vs Sony A230, both Entry-Level DSLR digital cameras by competitors Nikon and Sony. There exists a huge gap between the resolutions of the D5500 (24MP) and A230 (10MP) but they come with the exact same sensor size (APS-C).

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The D5500 was brought out 5 years later than the A230 and that is quite a significant gap as far as technology is concerned. The two cameras come with the identical body type (Compact SLR).

Before delving straight into a thorough comparison, below is a concise summation of how the D5500 grades vs the A230 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Nikon D5500 over the Sony A230

 D5500 A230 
AnnouncedJanuary 2015May 2009More recent by 69 months
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen dimension3.2"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.5")
Screen resolution1037k230kSharper screen (+807k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Sony A230 over the Nikon D5500

 A230 D5500 

Common features in the Nikon D5500 and Sony A230

 D5500 A230 
Focus manually Very accurate focusing

Nikon D5500 vs Sony A230 Physical Comparison

If you are going to lug around your camera frequently, you should think about its weight and dimensions. The Nikon D5500 enjoys physical measurements of 124mm x 97mm x 70mm (4.9" x 3.8" x 2.8") having a weight of 420 grams (0.93 lbs) while the Sony A230 has dimensions of 128mm x 97mm x 68mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.7") accompanied by a weight of 490 grams (1.08 lbs).

Check the Nikon D5500 vs Sony A230 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you have at that time. Below is the front view measurement comparison of the D5500 compared to the A230.

Nikon D5500 vs Sony A230 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the D5500 and A230 is 71 and 69 respectively.

Nikon D5500 vs Sony A230 top view buttons comparison

Nikon D5500 vs Sony A230 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, its tough to imagine the difference between sensor measurements only by going over specs. The visual below will give you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the D5500 and A230.

All in all, both of these cameras posses the exact same sensor measurements albeit different MP. You should count on the Nikon D5500 to offer extra detail having its extra 14MP. Higher resolution can also let you crop pictures somewhat more aggressively. The more modern D5500 provides an edge when it comes to sensor innovation.

Nikon D5500 vs Sony A230 sensor size comparison

Nikon D5500 vs Sony A230 Screen and ViewFinder

Nikon D5500 vs Sony A230 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Nikon D5500 Portrait photography features
Sony A230 Portrait photography features
79
manual focus
MP count decent (24MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
offers face detect focus
supports RAW files
54
has manual focus
decent sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW files
no liveview
low MP (10MP)
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Street Comparison

Nikon D5500 Street photography factors
Sony A230 Street photography factors
75
fully articulated screen
decent sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW files
comes with touch to focus
lighter than average in class (420 grams)
great ISO range (25,600)
no image stabilization
67
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW files
no moving screen
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Sports Comparison

Nikon D5500 Sports photography highlights
Sony A230 Sports photography highlights
68
MP count decent (24 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
offers tracking focus
great battery pack (820 per charge)
comes with phase detect auto focus
slow continuous shooting (5.0 frames/s)
no image stabilization
46
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
comes with phase detect auto focus
no liveview
max fps very slow (3.0 frames per second)
low MP (10 megapixels)
bad battery power (230 per charge)
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Nikon D5500
Travel photography with Sony A230
81
great battery pack (820 per charge)
lighter than average in class (420 grams)
comes with touch to focus
MP count decent (24MP)
has built in flash
selfie friendly display
45
built-in flash
lack of Timelapse function
bad battery power (230 per charge)
low MP (10MP)
display isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Nikon D5500 Landscape photography details
Sony A230 Landscape photography details
78
manual focus
swap lenses (Nikon F mount)
nice screen size (3.2 inches)
MP count decent (24 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
no anti-alias filter
great ISO range (25,600)
supports RAW files
great battery pack (820 per charge)
no image stabilization
51
has manual focus
switch lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW files
screen is small (2.7")
no liveview
low MP (10 megapixels)
bad battery power (230 CIPA)
lack of Timelapse function
Photography Glossary

Vlogging Comparison

Nikon D5500 Vlogging details
Sony A230 Vlogging details
75
selfie friendly display
touchscreen capability
offers face detect focus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
does have mic support
lighter than average in class (420 grams)
no image stabilization
9
no video shooting
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Nikon D5500 vs Sony A230 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Nikon D5500 and Sony A230
 Nikon D5500Sony Alpha DSLR-A230
General Information
Brand Name Nikon Sony
Model Nikon D5500 Sony Alpha DSLR-A230
Class Entry-Level DSLR Entry-Level DSLR
Introduced 2015-01-06 2009-05-18
Body design Compact SLR Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Expeed 4 Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size APS-C APS-C
Sensor measurements 23.5 x 15.6mm 23.5 x 15.7mm
Sensor area 366.6mm² 369.0mm²
Sensor resolution 24 megapixels 10 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 6000 x 4000 3872 x 2592
Max native ISO 25600 3200
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW data
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Number of focus points 39 9
Cross focus points 9 -
Lens
Lens mounting type Nikon F Sony/Minolta Alpha
Available lenses 309 143
Crop factor 1.5 1.5
Screen
Display type Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Display sizing 3.2" 2.7"
Display resolution 1,037 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder coverage 95% 95%
Viewfinder magnification 0.55x 0.55x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 30 secs 30 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 5.0 frames/s 3.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 12.00 m (at ISO 100) 10.00 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow sync, Rear curtain Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Wireless
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/200 secs 1/160 secs
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60, 50, 30, 25, 24 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 50, 30, 25 fps), 640 x 424 (30, 25 fps) -
Max video resolution 1920x1080 None
Video file format MPEG-4, H.264 -
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS Optional None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 420 gr (0.93 lbs) 490 gr (1.08 lbs)
Dimensions 124 x 97 x 70mm (4.9" x 3.8" x 2.8") 128 x 97 x 68mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.7")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 84 63
DXO Color Depth score 24.1 22.3
DXO Dynamic range score 14.0 11.4
DXO Low light score 1438 531
Other
Battery life 820 shots 230 shots
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model EN-EL14,EN-EL14a NP-FH50
Self timer Yes (2, 5, 10 or 20 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo
Storage slots One One
Cost at launch $700 $569